In Between the Episodes
by GoldenUsagi
Summary: Sesshoumaru revives Rin, Rin follows Sesshomaru. Then she stays and he lets her. But why? And after that? Attempting to explain the odd relationship between the two.
1. The Meeting and Before, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does, so don't sue me.

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The light engulfed Sesshoumaru, burning a white-hot energy into his skin. Suddenly, the sword he wore pulsed in its sheath, emitting an energy of its own. It surrounded him as well, but before he could register what was happening, all went black.

When Sesshoumaru woke up, he was in a wooded area, and it was much later in the day. He could barely move. There was also someone coming toward him through the woods. He didn't really want to fight with something else right now, though he would easily kill the human if it confronted him. When the human came near, he sat up and snarled at it, still disoriented and hoping that he looked as bad as he felt. A dirty little girl stood by the bushes, and she jumped back a little, before taking a few hesitant steps forward. Sesshoumaru stared at her, wondering if she would come within killing distance. Then, as quickly as she had come, the girl left again.

Not caring, Sesshoumaru once again lay down, and slept some more. When he awoke, it was dark, and there was a pipe of water a short distance away from him. The stupid human girl must have left it. He looked away, and propped himself up against a nearby tree. For the first time, he noticed how bad his condition really was. His armor had almost completely been blown away, and he had been bleeding. For a moment, he briefly wondered if he would have been killed by the blast had it not been for Tenseiga. The thought repulsed him--how unfitting it would have been to die from Inuyasha. And how unfitting and more unfair still was the fact that Inuyasha had received Tetsusaiga, and not him. He touched the hilt of Tenseiga. Like Tetsusaiga, the sword had a mind of its own, and it seemed that it had chosen him for its master, regardless of how he felt about it.

Ironically, he remembered how pleased he had first been when he had found out about Tetsusaiga. Then he had learned exactly whom it was to be given to. It mattered little to Sesshoumaru that the hanyou would get a sword; however, he felt that it was only fitting that he be given a sword its equal. But his father had left him the Tenseiga. The difference between the two swords was astronomical; calling them equals was a mockery. He often wondered why he didn't simply get rid of the worthless Tenseiga. But it was an heirloom of his father's power, and it was rightfully his. He would not see something that was his in the hands of another, whether he personally wanted the thing or not. However, that didn't prevent him from trying to get Tetsusaiga as well.

Sesshoumaru did not get the sword he wanted, and it was a point of resentment between him and his father. So much so, that his father took the Tetsusaiga to his grave with him, where Sesshoumaru could never get it. Tetsusaiga had the power to kill one hundred with one swing, and Tenseiga the power to do the opposite--a power that Sesshoumaru was not interested in. But it was still a well-crafted sword, regardless of whatever useless powers it might have. His father had told Sesshoumaru little about Tenseiga after he had expressed his disgust. So it was not until Sesshoumaru attempted to use the sword did he find out that it couldn't even kill. And now the cursed thing had just saved him of its own will.

Sesshoumaru briefly wondered what else the sword could do. "A healing sword," his father had said. It was useless to him, but useless or not, he was interested in Tenseiga's abilities after it's sudden display. He knew that it could not kill, and it had saved him, but what else could it do? There was its supposed capability of "one hundred swings," but he had never had the inclination to try it out. Sesshoumaru was still certainly not interested in saving one hundred lives, but he ought to at least test it on the next dead thing he saw.

There was a rustle coming through the bushes. The girl appeared again, this time bringing some food on a leaf. She set it down next to the water pipe, still a short distance away from him. He wondered why he hadn't scared her away the first time. Did the girl have no one to warn her to stay away from stray youkai in the woods? Probably not, he decided, after looking at her carefully out of the corner of his eye. She looked at him, and then turned to leave.

"Mind your own business. Human food doesn't suit me," he said, not looking in her direction. Maybe now she would leave him alone.

The girl left again, but returned the next morning. She had brought more food, this time bringing it up and offering it to him. He was surprised that she had approached him in the first place, but to come so close this time. Did she not realize that it was dangerous? But not particularly being in the same foul mood as when he had first woken up the day before, Sesshoumaru only regarded her curiously. She looked much worse than she had previously (if possible), with bruises on her face and much dirtier clothes. She smelled slightly of blood, probably from an already closed wound. He told her that he didn't need anything, but she persisted. When he told her again, she just sat there, not leaving. Mildly curious and with nothing else do to, Sesshoumaru looked at her and asked what happened to her face. When she didn't answer, he thought at first that perhaps she didn't care to converse with a youkai, even if she would bring food to one. But she had delivered the food and was still there. She looked at him and only smiled. Could she not speak? And why was she so happy about a simple question? Suddenly, she left, going back in the direction that she always came from.

It didn't matter. Sometime today he would go; he was strong enough. Youkai recovered quickly, even from the most serious injuries. If they weren't killed instantly from a wound, there was little chance that they would die afterward.

Later that day, Sesshoumaru left the woods, finding Jaken and the dragon nearby. Thinking that he was alone, Jaken was having an argument with himself, which Sesshoumaru's appearance quickly put an end to. He was about to tell Jaken to get ready to leave, when he smelled wolves, mixed with the scent of a familiar blood. Curious, Sesshoumaru slowly began walking back the way he had come, Jaken scurrying behind him. It didn't take Sesshoumaru long to find the source of the scent, fallen dead in the forest's path and soaked in her own blood. Jaken muttered something, but Sesshoumaru wasn't paying attention to him. His arm was already resting on Tenseiga's hilt. He pulled Tenseiga out of its sheath. It pulsed in his hand. So the sword wanted this done, did it?

"Let's test it."

Suddenly he could see spirits from the next world over the body. Seeing nothing else to do, he slashed at them, watching as they disappeared in a flash of light. The girl remained motionless. So the sword didn't work, or else he wasn't able to use it. Just as Inuyasha had no clue as to what to do with Tetsusaiga, the ironic thought crossed his mind. Sesshoumaru knelt down and turned the girl over with his arm, looking at her. His eyes widened as she abruptly opened hers, staring up at him. He looked at the girl's suddenly alive form for a moment, before pushing her to her feet. Then he turned and walked away. Tenseiga could have its uses, he supposed, even if it had its weaknesses.


	2. The Meeting and Before, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does, so don't sue me.

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The wagon rolled along the dirt road, kicking up dust as it went. It was piled so high with goods, that there was only barely room for the man to sit and drive it. A woman and two children walked beside it, all tired and lagging but one. The smallest girl continually ran around the wagon and the walking figures. She picked flowers and threw them up into the air as she went along, singing a made up nonsense song. Suddenly she stopped and pulled at the woman's clothes.

"Mama? Say a story!"

"Not now, Rin-chan. Quiet. I'm very tired."

"Rin wants a story!"

"Children should learn to hold their tongues when told to do so," the man spoke up.

"Yes, listen to your father and be obedient, like your brother. He's quiet."

"Mama!"

"Be silent for once child, and get out of the way! You've almost been stepped on by the horse three times."

The girl said nothing, but still danced around. Then she spoke again.

"Why are we leaving?"

"To move to a better village, where your father can provide for us."

"Mama? Carry Rin?"

"I'm too tired. Go sleep under the wagon, and when you wake up, I promise I'll tell you a story. If you're quiet."

Rin smiled and caught the bottom of the wagon, swinging herself up onto an underneath plank where she could lie comfortably if she curled up. She was the only one small enough to do so. There were even several holes that she could look out of. For a while, she watched the fields go by, and looked at her older brother, who kept waving in her direction. Rin smiled, and stuck her finger out of a hole, wiggling it and waving. Her mother looked in the direction of the wagon and smiled. And then suddenly screamed. Rin quickly pulled her finger back, and put her eye up to the biggest hole.

There were more screams. From her mother, and even her brother. Her father shouted. The wagon bumped and jumped, suddenly jerking to a halt. Now she could see horses, and men. Her father was on the ground, standing between her mother and the men. He pointed towards the wagon.

"Take it...please...but...." She couldn't hear all of what he said.

One of the men shook his head and suddenly pulled out his sword, slashing her father. And then her mother. And then her brother. Rin's eyes opened wide.

Then there was laughing and exclamations. "No witnesses." And, "Hurry." She felt the wagon shift as one of the men quickly stood over its side and went though it. "Mount up. Someone bring that." Then the thunder of hooves began again, and suddenly the wagon was moving beneath her. Rin didn't want to go with the men. Without thinking, she threw herself off of the board, and hit the road, rolling several times before she came to a stop. She looked at the disappearing men. Not one of them ever looked back to notice the young girl that they had missed.

Her family was behind her. Rin walked over. They were all lying on the ground. Not moving. She approached them. Her mother, her brother, her father. There was blood on them, and their faces were blank and unseeing. She had seen that before. Blood was what happened when someone died. Rin didn't know exactly what 'died' meant, only that the people never came back. Her mother's eyes were closed, and she looked only to be sleeping, her dark clothes making the blood less noticeable. Rin knelt by her mother and put a hand on her.

"Rin-chan...."

"Mama!"

"I'm sorry, child."

"Mama! Don't go!"

Her mother coughed and opened her eyes. "It looks like being silent for once saved you...."

"Rin needs Mama. Rin doesn't want to be alone. Don't go with brother and Papa!"

"Rin, listen to me." Her mother was speaking quickly. "Go to the next village. Find someone you can be of use to and help there. Do whatever you can; it's--it's going to be hard. Always be nice and try to be good." Her mother was crying. Rin started to cry as well. "Someday, you'll find someone else that will be nice to you, that will care about you and hold you, like I did."

"No!"

"Yes. And when you do, hold on to them and don't you ever let them go, understand? Ever, Rin!"

Rin sniffled and hugged her mother.

"That's a good girl...." Her mother closed her eyes, and her head fell back.

"Mamaaaaa!" Rin cried--the last word that she spoke for over two years. She curled up at her mother's side and cried into her chest, her tiny arms hugging her mother's body. That was how the travelers found her the next day.

"Girl, get up." Rin opened her eyes and saw two men staring down at her. She clung to her mother, but quickly jumped back. The touch was hard and cold. That wasn't her mother.

"Those your family?"

Rin nodded.

"It must have been the bandits," the other said.

"Come on girl, we'll take you to the village with us."

Rin fell into step behind the men, looking back until her family was out of sight.

"Where were you headed?" the first man said.

Rin said nothing.

"Got a name, kid?"

Rin said nothing.

"Eh, she'll talk soon enough. Give her some time," the second man said. "Not like it matters."

The men and Rin walked to the village in silence, reaching it by late afternoon. There was a small crowd of people gathered by the edge that turned to face the travelers as they approached.

"Any bandits?" one of the village men greeted them.

"None that we saw, but this girl's family was killed by 'em. We're moving on through tomorrow. Do whatever you want with her." With that, the two travelers disappeared into the inn.

"Rin?" a woman said, suddenly stepping out of the crowd.

"You know her?" the village man said.

"My husband was supposed to meet with her father on business yesterday. We were worried when they didn't arrive. We're moving on as well."

"Why don't you take the girl with you, then? You were acquainted with her parents."

"We knew them in business only! And I've got six of my own to feed!" With that, the woman left and stalked off to find her husband.

The villagers continued debating about the bandits, and all but forgot Rin. She wandered off alone, finally resting against the wall of a barn.

She never left the village after that, for she had nowhere else to go, though the village was nowhere to her as well. Most adults ignored her. Even the village children soon avoided her, because of her odd silence. Some in the village wondered if the girl had ever been able to talk, and others assumed that she had merely stopped because her family was killed when she was at such a young age.

Rin didn't think about not talking. She simply stopped. The day that her family had been killed was twisted and distant in her mind, forever imprinted as seen through a child's eyes. Some things she remembered, and others she forgot. And as the many months went by, she even began to forget what life was like before. What her parents looked like, how they laughed and played and scolded her--everything, slowly faded. She only knew that once she had had a family. But her mother's last words to her she remembered. Not exactly the words that had been said, but what was felt. It floated around in her mind; sometimes she was aware of it, but most of the time she wasn't. However, even in subconscious thought, one idea stood out above the others. Rin was quiet the day that she hadn't been killed.

She lived in the village as best she could, suffering through hunger and cold and teasing and kicking. The village mostly tolerated her, but it was on hard times itself, and few had the resources to feed another mouth. She did chores in exchange for food when someone asked her, but that happened far and in between, and she resorted to stealing when she couldn't pick food that grew freely around the village. She stayed out of everyone's way for the most part, except when she was forced to steal. Which didn't make the villagers any more favorable towards her. As time went on, they became less favorable and friendly, many in fact wondering if they would ever be rid of her. Often wearing on their patience, she was being yelled at and smacked more frequently.

Caught one day stealing eggs, Rin was being chased out of the village by older boys. It happened every now and then, they would chase her out, and she would return later. She ran into the woods to lose them. That was when she found him.

Lying in a clearing in the woods there was a person. He wasn't moving, and looked worse than she did. Her small cuts and tatters didn't compare to his wounds. Rin approached slowly walked all the way around him. He had blood on him and his face was blank, his unseeing eyes even red. She touched him. He was still warm; that meant he wasn't dead. He made no indication that he was aware of her presence or was even awake. Suddenly hearing the boys crashing through the woods, Rin turned and ran, crossing in front of their path and leading them away from the clearing.

At sunset she returned. Something was different this time. She thought she saw him move. She stepped forward, only to have him jump up and snarl at her. She backed up a step, but stood in the clearing a moment longer before going back to the village. Maybe she had surprised him. When she returned again, it was nighttime and the person was lying down once more. She had approached the clearing loudly, giving the person enough time to know that she was there this time, but he seemed asleep again. She turned and left a pipe of water nearby.

No one had ever helped her, but she always tried to be nice. But there was rarely anyone around Rin for her to be nice to. After her first few months, the villagers mostly looked at her with contempt and avoided her, so she was mostly alone. The person in the woods didn't have anyone to help him, either. But she could be nice and help. She could help him.

She returned to the clearing once again in the dark, this time bringing a leaf with fish and mushrooms on it. She had taken it from the back of the inn, and only eaten a little herself. He was awake now, propped up against a tree. She set the food next to the water pipe. He didn't even look at her, so she started to leave.

"Mind your own business. Human food doesn't suit me," he said after her, still not looking in her direction.

Rin walked away, confused. Maybe he didn't want food from the inn, but something fresh. Once back in the village, she went fishing in the stream, standing for hours in the cool water. She was so overjoyed when she finally caught a fish that she didn't notice the angry villagers gathered at the bank. They yelled and hit at her, finally stopping as she tottered off. Her face hurt, and her eye was soon swollen shut, the worst injury that she had had in a while.

The next morning it still hurt, and the villagers kept a close eye on her as she walked around. She went off to the clearing anyway, bringing the person the only food that she could find in the woods. He looked in her direction as she approached, and she presented the leaf to him. He said that he didn't need it. She tried again.

"I told you, I don't need anything."

There was silence. Rin looked down. Why couldn't she help? She was trying so hard to.

"What happened to your face?"

Rin looked at him blankly for a moment. He wanted to talk to her?

"If you don't want to speak to me, that's fine."

The first things spoken to her in almost years that weren't an insult, command, or warning. He glanced at her. Rin looked back at him, and made direct eye contact, holding his gaze for a few seconds. In the village, she had learned to always look at the ground, lest she draw attention to herself, and no one ever looked at her. She smiled. Then she suddenly noticed how different this person was. Golden eyes and silver hair, and markings on his face. She smiled again.

"Why are you so happy? I just asked you what happened."

Rin smiled again, and ran back to the village, making up a skipping game along the way. As she neared her destination, she stopped. There was someone in the little half fallen down hut that she had recently adopted. He scared her at first, but looked to be in a hurry when he suddenly heard a howl in the air. He ran out quickly and Rin watched. Watched as wolves attacked. As he tried to swim across the river only to be dragged back and killed. As the one who did it shrugged it off and left. As the remaining wolves suddenly overran the village, attacking and killing. As one of them spotted her. She ran.

It was chasing her, and now more were following. If she could lose them in the trees, maybe they wouldn't get her. She found herself on the path that she had been using the most the past day, the one that led to the clearing. Maybe if she could get there, he would make the wolves go away. Something told her that he could. But then something hit her foot and she hit the ground. Looking behind, the last thing she saw was leaping fur and fang. A pain hit her, and then it was black.

When she opened her eyes, the wolves were gone and he was over her, kneeling and holding her up with one arm. His eyes widened as she looked up at him. For a moment they stared like that, until his arm shifted and set her upright. Then turning and saying nothing, he walked away. She stood and watched his retreating form. He had been nice to her. He had talked to her, he had made the wolves go away, and he had touched her without it being a slap or a kick. A long repressed command from an almost dead memory suddenly hit Rin, and she realized something. The first person to hold her, in years, was leaving. Ignoring the small chattering thing that stood near her, Rin did the only thing that she knew to do. She followed.


	3. The Following: Day 1, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does, so don't sue me.

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"Sesshoumaru-sama, it's been following us ever since we left the forest!"

"I am aware of that, Jaken." Sesshoumaru didn't need to look behind him to realize that the human child was still trailing them. He could hear her movements as she waded through the grass after them, and she still smelled of blood.

"Why don't we just get rid of it?" Jaken asked, turning his head once more to look at the girl.

Sesshoumaru answered Jaken with silence. He was not interested in wasting time and energy exterminating something that he had just brought back to life. And anyway, he didn't particularly see a reason to kill the girl. Though known for his contempt of humans, Sesshoumaru had no interest in massacring villages, as some other youkai did. The smell of human blood disgusted him. He only killed humans when they got in his way, which did happen quite frequently. Though any lesser youkai that were stupid enough to fight with him would also die. Human and youkai alike he killed, if they were weak and wore on his patience.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Leave her alone. She will soon grow bored and go back to wherever it is that she came from."

Jaken looked behind them again.

"Stop turning around, Jaken." If neither one of them acknowledged her presence, the girl would go on her way all the sooner.

"Begging your pardon, Sesshoumaru-sama, but I don't think _I'm_ the one it's following."

Why _was_ she following him? She remained a dozen or so yards behind, but it was not a coincidence that her path was the same as theirs. Was it because of what he had done? Possibly--if she was even conscious of what he had done. But she had also kept coming around him before that, in the woods. Surely the child must have better things to do than follow youkai across the wilderness. But then, she had seemed quite alone. Perhaps she really didn't have anything else to do, which still wasn't a satisfactory explanation as to why she was following him.

Jaken changed the subject. "Where are we going now, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"I require another sword. We are going to find someone who will make one."

"About that, Sesshoumaru-sama? When you...eh...showed Tenseiga to me? Did you know what Tenseiga would do?"

"I learned that Tenseiga could not kill a very long time ago," Sesshoumaru said after a moment. He glanced down at Jaken, who said nothing, but looked very relieved.

They continued on their path until they found Sesshoumaru's dragon, standing not far from where they left it. Sesshoumaru walked on, and Jaken instinctively took the dragon's reins, then falling back into step slightly behind Sesshoumaru. The girl still followed behind.

They walked on, until the sun went down and the stars had already been sliding across the sky for many hours. Sesshoumaru noticed that Jaken was beginning to tire, though he would never admit that he was watching, and Jaken would never complain to him about it. Sesshoumaru stopped.

"We will stop here."

"Ah, good," Jaken said, as he stopped. He drove his staff into the ground and looped the reins of the dragon around it. Crawling a few yards away from Sesshoumaru, he curled up and quickly went to sleep.

Sesshoumaru didn't need sleep as much as Jaken did; he hardly needed sleep at all. Especially not now, after lying for so long in the woods. He found a nearby rock to sit on. Usually, he would have stalked off in another direction as Jaken slept, but he didn't feel like it tonight. As much as he hated to admit it, he still felt weak. Not weak enough to need sleep, and not too tired to go on if Jaken weren't with him, but tired enough to sit in one spot for a few hours while there was nothing else to do.

Sesshoumaru turned his senses behind him. The child was still there, but she had stopped moving. She was a little closer than she had been; it had probably taken her a few seconds to realize that they had stopped. He was somewhat surprised that she had managed to follow at all for so long in the dark. His and Jaken's eyes had no trouble seeing under the dim conditions, but human eyes were different. Then again, picking out his white form, even in the dark, was probably not too difficult even for her. Sesshoumaru glanced back the way they had come. Even if the girl's eyes could make him out, she certainly wouldn't be able to see what he was doing.

The girl had indeed stopped, and was curled up in a little ball next to some tall grasses. She clutched at the bloodied rags she still wore, and shivered in the night. Pathetic. Pathetic was the only word to describe this girl, or any humans. Disinterested, Sesshoumaru then turned his attention to the sleeping Jaken, and then finally up at the stars.


	4. The Following: Day 1, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does, so don't sue me.

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Rin quickly hurried to catch up with him, leaving the still chattering thing behind her. However, it soon caught up with her and ran in front of her, waving its staff wildly in the air.

"Stupid girl! Go away! Shoo!" It poked her with its staff, and then turned and ran down the path, calling out to the figure in front of it. "Wait! Wait for me!"

_It_ caught up with him, and walked at his side, continually throwing her nasty glances over its shoulder. The smaller one was just like the villagers, always yelling and shoving her aside. But _he_ hadn't turned to say anything. But since it was obvious that she wasn't wanted by one of the two, Rin settled on walking some distance behind. He hadn't said that she could come, of course, but he hadn't said that she couldn't. And Rin was not going to let the first person that had been nice to her leave her. As long as she didn't let him out of her sight, she wouldn't lose him yet.

Rin's spirits lifted as she followed him through the forest's winding path. She picked some fallen fruit on the way, eating a few pieces and stuffing the rest into her shirt. It was then that she noticed that she was covered in blood. She stopped momentarily to look at herself. Had she been injured? She couldn't remember. Maybe the wolves had bitten her, but nothing hurt and she couldn't find any wounds. She thought that they had jumped on her, but her memory was suddenly hazy and muddled. Noticing that she was falling behind, Rin quickly forgot about her dirty appearance and moved to catch up, at least as close as she would.

The two ahead of Rin were talking--or rather, the small one was mostly talking, while he said little. Rin learned that his name was Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru-sama, it seemed. Shortly, the woods began to disappear, the trees being replaced with rolling hills and plains. A wind blew through the tall grasses, making them bow and dip, moving almost like waves around her. Suddenly, she stopped. The two in front of her now had a scary looking thing with them. They had taken it without stopping, and it now followed him as well. Rin wondered if it was one of the monsters that the villagers whispered about. She looked on in hesitation. They were moving without her, and would soon be over the hill. She made up her mind and ran after them. She wouldn't leave. She couldn't.

Rin followed Sesshoumaru-sama all day, and into the cool night. She had decided that the monster wasn't as scary as she had first thought, and that it looked like what was called a dragon. She had also learned that the other one's name was Jaken. She was beginning to get tired, but she wouldn't lose him, especially not now. She had no one else, and she doubted that she could find her way back to the village by herself. For a moment, she wondered if she ever should have left. It seemed that he didn't want her, either. She had expected him to say something by now, but he hadn't even turned in her direction. His silent form walked ahead, appearing almost ghost-like in the pale moonlight. He hadn't talked to her, but he hadn't told her to go away, either.

A bit lost in her thoughts, Rin suddenly realized that they had stopped. The one called Jaken had all but disappeared from her vision, leading the dragon farther up. Sesshoumaru-sama had sat down, a signal to Rin that they were indeed resting. She found some grasses that seemed to grow thicker and lay down by them, though they did little for comfort. But she was used to making do with grass for bedding, and soon she was asleep.


	5. The Following: Day 2, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does, so don't sue me.

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The night passed, the stars faded, and the sky began to lighten. Soon the first rays of sun could be seen through the trees. Sesshoumaru was about to wake Jaken, when he heard a noise behind him. Not particularly thinking about it, he glanced in the direction of the noise out of the corner of his eye. The girl was awake and alert, sitting up beside the grasses, and looking directly at him. Sesshoumaru turned his head away. He hadn't really thought about it until then, but he had hoped that she would sleep until they left. Ignoring her certainly wasn't working; perhaps Jaken had a point about doing something.

Sesshoumaru got off of the rock and stood up. He turned toward the girl, and locked eyes with her. "Go away," he said harshly. "We don't want you and we don't need you." Not caring to see the child's reaction, he turned and walked toward the spot where Jaken lay. Sesshoumaru poked Jaken with his foot. "We're leaving." Jaken quickly awoke, grabbed his staff and the dragon's reins, and hurried to catch up.

It was midday before either of them spoke.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, it's doing it again!"

Jaken had just realized that the girl was still following them. He had probably completely forgotten about it during the night. But just now she had tripped and made a small noise before she was back on her feet.

"I am aware of that, Jaken." Sesshoumaru knew that the girl was still behind them, but he was once again refusing to acknowledge her existence. Little good it had done him last time. And unless his hearing was deceiving him, the child was following even closer than the day before.

"Well, it certainly hasn't gone away! Why don't we just fly for a while?" Jaken said, gesturing toward the dragon.

"I prefer to walk." Flying had its uses, especially if a hurry was needed, but one missed anything interesting. And if nothing else, the girl was interesting. It was interesting why she had approached him in the first place, interesting why she hadn't been scared, and even more interesting why she thought it would be a good idea to follow him.

They walked that way until evening, with Sesshoumaru saying nothing, Jaken looking annoyed, and the girl still behind. When the sun set and the deep darkness came, Sesshoumaru noticed that the girl was even closer, probably not five yards off. She was also tripping a lot, and then quickening her pace to catch up. The cloudy night was almost pitch black, and her eyes were probably having trouble seeing even him. In fact, she was most likely only able to follow now because of the noise they made. He walked silently enough, but the dragon, and even Jaken, weren't so quiet.

The dragon made a noise, and Jaken looked wordlessly up at Sesshoumaru, silently echoing its sentiments, even if he wouldn't say so. Sesshoumaru nodded. They would stop here for a few hours. He stood where he was, as Jaken led the dragon a short distance away to find some soft grass to sleep on. As Sesshoumaru wondered what he would do until the dawn, something suddenly ran into his leg. It was, of course, the child. The girl made another surprised sound, and then fell over, sitting where she hit the ground. He looked down at her, but she only looked back with unseeing eyes. She turned her head to listen, and apparently hearing nothing this time, did not get back up. She reached her hand out, but Sesshoumaru silently sidestepped, leaving her to touch nothingness. The girl stared out at the blackness again, and then finally curled up into a ball and went to sleep. Sesshoumaru watched the girl for a few moments before he walked away and sat down for the second night in a row and did nothing.

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	6. The Following: Day 2, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does, so don't sue me.

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Rin awoke early the next morning, due to her own set internal clock. Something told her that she couldn't sleep for long if she wanted him to still be there when she woke up. And she had had enough practice at sleeping short hours from the cold winters, sneaking into the back of a warm building long after its inhabitants had gone to sleep and getting out before they discovered her the next day.

She sat up and looked around. The sun was just coming up, and she saw Sesshoumaru-sama sitting in the same spot as he had been the night before. He moved his head to look at her, and then turned away. She remained where she was, staring at his silent form, ready to follow him again, ready to do anything he asked. Anything but what he said next.

He stood up and looked at her again. "Go away. We don't want you and we don't need you." Then he turned and left, waking up his two companions and walking away.

Rin just stood there, frozen. She didn't know what to think. Sesshoumaru-sama had told her to leave, just like everyone else had. But he had also been nice to her. She was confused. He couldn't have meant both. And she couldn't go back to the village now, there was no way that she'd ever find it again. She couldn't stay here, either, by herself. Rin was alone in the wilderness, and he was all that she had in the world now. So she followed.

Rin walked closer this time, hoping for any sort of reaction one way or the other. But both of them were silent for the most part, and he never turned to look at her the whole day. As she followed through the grasses, she soon decided that Sesshoumaru-sama had been nice more than he had been mean. He obviously did not want her gone too badly, or he would have made it clearer. Until he raised a hand to stop her, she would follow.

At sunset, she ate the last of the fruit that she had picked, though she was still hungry. But that wasn't unusual for her. Still, she had never done so much walking on an empty stomach. Rin kept an eye out for food along the way, but nothing grew in the grasses. She only managed to get a drink from a stream they passed. But she wouldn't fall behind. She couldn't now.

When night came, it grew incredibly dark. The sky was covered by clouds, and no trace of the moon could even be seen. Rin feared that she would lose him, and be alone in the night by herself. She had never liked the night, even inside the village. There were strange noises, especially on nights like this, when the dark was so black that it covered everything. Villagers told stories of monsters called youkai that roamed the lands at night. Rin was never exactly certain of what a youkai actually was. But she didn't want to get left behind, so she ran ahead, following even closer to make sure that Sesshoumaru-sama was still there.

She wondered how he could see where he was going. She couldn't see him at all now, but she could hear. Sometimes she would have to stop and listen for the noise they made as they walked. Sometimes she would fall and trip over some unseen object in the night. Either time, it was a continual game of whether she could find him and catch up again. Suddenly, she hit something and fell over once more. She took the time to listen again. It was completely silent this time. She then reached her hand out. Whatever she had run into was not merely a stump or rock. But Rin found nothing in front of her. Confused, but satisfied that she also heard nothing, Rin prepared to sleep again, knowing that they would be doing the same. She readied herself to wake up as early as possible, so that she wouldn't be alone in the morning.


	7. The Following: Day 3, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does, so don't sue me.

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Sesshoumaru must have come close to dozing off, for when he opened his eyes, the sky was already lightening, and the girl was sitting only a few yards away, watching him with a pleased look on her face. He looked at her, but said nothing, and then got up to go wake Jaken.

Jaken was obviously less than pleased that the girl was still there, standing in silence with a small smile on her face as she waited for them to move. Sesshoumaru began to walk, followed by Jaken and the dragon, and still trailed by the girl behind. She followed closer than she had at the beginning of the day before, but not as closely as she had during the night.

"Sesshoumaru-sama--"

"I am aware of that, Jaken."

"Why does it not bother you that the human's still there?"

"And why does it bother you? As you pointed out, you're not the one she's following. If she annoys you so, feel free to chose another path, but don't advise me as to what I should do."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama."

The rolling grasses soon ran into a forest as they walked, a forest filled with many things, Sesshoumaru noted. Lower youkai generally preferred areas that they could control, and were reluctant to haunt the hills and grasslands where they could be easily surrounded and killed by humans. The forest was like many other woods--a few things about, but the area was certainly not dark with youki or overrun, and most humans wouldn't have thought twice about going in. Most that went in would probably come out as well.

They walked through the woods for many hours without incidence. There was probably nothing in the woods that would dare to approach him, anyway.

"Look, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken suddenly exclaimed, pointing up ahead.

A large, reptilian looking thing was skulking slightly beside the worn path, almost blending into the foliage. A human would probably fail to notice it until it was too late, but it was not inconspicuous to the sharp senses of another youkai. Sesshoumaru merely continued on. If it attacked him, it was much, much, stupider than it looked. As they approached, Sesshoumaru glanced at the thing, his face expressionless. He guessed that it could probably speak, but he was not about to converse with it. It continued watching them, but shrank back as Sesshoumaru neared; it could clearly sense what lay beneath his surface, and had no intentions of picking a losing battle. Its eyes slid past them and back to the path.

Sesshoumaru noticed this and turned his head just enough so that he could see the girl out of the corner of one eye. "Catch up if you don't want to get eaten."

"But Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken protested. Sesshoumaru ignored him.

The girl instantly obeyed, and was soon only a few feet behind him. An angry noise a few steps ahead made the girl realize that the creature was there, and she jumped behind Sesshoumaru's leg, walking beside it until the thing was long out of sight. He didn't tell her to step back after that, and she didn't. She never walked behind again.

Which clearly infuriated Jaken. So much so that he moved as they walked, putting Sesshoumaru and the dragon between himself and the girl. He was silent until they rested that night, when he began talking and wouldn't shut up. The girl was already asleep, apparently exhausted from the day.

"May I respectfully ask you something, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru looked at Jaken, who was speaking directly, but not letting his already known personal feelings about the girl come into it. "You may."

"What do you intend to do with her, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Do with her?"

"For whatever reason, she's not going to stop following you, short of knocking her on the head and leaving her in some village. And if she keeps it up as is, she's going to drop dead, which, for whatever reason, you don't seem to want."

Sesshoumaru considered this. "Then I shall keep her for a while."

"What?! Why?"

"I want to know why she's following me, among curious other things."

"But it's not proper for a youkai lord such as yourself! And think of all that you'll have to do, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken was beginning to get upset.

"_I_ decide what is and is not proper for myself, Jaken."

"But--Sesshoumaru-sama! A useless human?"

Then Jaken began rambling, only finally stopping in order to go to sleep. Sesshoumaru had quietly ignored him for the most part, but actually considered some of Jaken's words while he sat up that night. Sesshoumaru looked at the girl, who slept a few feet away, once again curled up. He hated to admit it, but Jaken was right, at least about a few things. She would definitely have to be watched, as they didn't always travel through the tamest parts of the country. Even youkai who would never dare to quarrel with him, or even Jaken, weren't above taking something from them if they thought they could get it.

And then there was the matter of food. Humans had to eat every day, or at least they should. He wondered how long it had been since she had eaten. Probably at least as long as she had been following him. Now that he considered it, he was amazed at how determined she was to keep up with him, which only added to his curiosity. With his fast pace and her apparent lack of food, she should have tired out long ago. And clothing. He supposed that he would have to get her some new clothes, if for no other reason than to be able to stand her. Sesshoumaru looked at her torn and dirtied rags. The smell of blood was bad enough when she was behind him, but since the afternoon, he was beginning to wonder if she even _had_ a scent of her own besides that of blood. They would probably also have to stop more for rest and sleep, since the girl would need even more of it than Jaken. Which wasn't really that much of a problem, since Sesshoumaru was rarely on a schedule to answer to others, if ever.

She would be a small burden, ever how long he kept her. But all things considered, Sesshoumaru didn't think that her presence would severely hinder him. Plus, the girl annoyed Jaken, which was always fun.


	8. The Following: Day 3, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does, so don't sue me.

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Rin did wake up early the next day, apparently earlier than anyone else. She could see the dragon thing over the tall grasses, but there was no sign of the one called Jaken. But Sesshoumaru-sama was nearby, white standing out like day itself in the pre-dawn light. He was sitting down and looked to be resting. Rin moved through the dewy grass, and sat down a little bit away. She looked at him. His eyes were closed and he was asleep, or at least close enough.

Rin watched him. She had noticed things about him before, but hadn't been close enough to look again. Now he slept and she curiously moved closer. He was dressed nicely, not even the lords that occasionally came through the village had worn clothes as rich as his. And he was...different, though Rin didn't know how. The same odd feeling that told her that he could make the wolves go away told her that he was different from her. He certainly looked different. Though Rin could care less about what the person who was nice to her looked like, she had never seen anyone like him before. His hair was different, and he had markings on his face. His eyes were also a golden yellow, reminding her of eyes that she had seen somewhere else before, but couldn't place. She had never seen people with eyes like those. Suddenly, they opened, and he looked at her. She stared back, but he only stood up and walked away. She stood as well, waiting for him to leave.

Rin walked a little closer than she had before. The plains and hills rolled by as the day went on. She heard them talking about her later in the day. Apparently Sesshoumaru-sama didn't really want her gone, at least not immediately. Rin was pleased at that. She would stay with him, then. She wondered if he was always this quiet. It would be nice for him to talk to her. She was ready to do anything he said if he would just let her stay. But Rin couldn't do what he wanted if she didn't know what it was.

Soon they entered woods, woods much like the ones that had surrounded the village. Rin liked the woods. It was nice and quiet, and no one bothered her in the woods. They walked for a long time before she began to realize how hungry she was. But she couldn't see anything around to eat, and she couldn't stop to look or she would lose him. Even if he wouldn't make her go away, she knew that he wouldn't stop to wait on her. So she continued on.

It was later in the day when Sesshoumaru-sama turned to look at her the first time. Jaken had just pointed to something, but Rin couldn't see anything. She wondered what they were looking at. When he turned around, Rin wondered what he was going to say. Whatever he wanted, she would do. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Catch up if you don't want to get eaten."

Rin didn't understand what that meant, but she ran up behind him without question, happy that he had told her to come closer. Suddenly, she heard a noise by the bushes, and she saw a scary looking thing staring at her. She jumped in surprise and moved closer to Sesshoumaru-sama, who was obviously not afraid of the thing. She walked close beside him until the thing disappeared around the curve of the forest's path. She looked up at him, but he made no sign that he noticed her or cared that she was there. Jaken, however, gave her a dirty look and moved to Sesshoumaru-sama's other side. But Rin didn't care.

She thought about Sesshoumaru-sama. He had been nice to her again, warning her about the monster and keeping it away from her. And he had told her to catch up. Now she walked beside him, and not behind. She knew that he wouldn't tell her to go away again. They walked that way until the night, when he wordlessly stopped and walked off of the path to sit down. Hungered and exhausted, Rin lay down and fell asleep almost instantly.


	9. The Beginning: Day 4, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does, so don't sue me.

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Sesshoumaru sat against a tree off of the path until the morning, when the girl woke up. When she saw him, she promptly sat down across from him and looked into his eyes. Sesshoumaru held her gaze for a moment before he looked away. The sky was beginning to brighten, and soon he would wake Jaken up, who would sleep as long as Sesshoumaru let him. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru heard a racket coming down the forest path from the other direction. It was a group of several humans, who would easily pass by without seeing him or his companions sitting in the shadows. But as they neared, he noticed something else, and stood up, preparing to block their way. The girl stood up as well, and moved slightly behind him, looking out from beside his leg. He turned his attention back to the approaching humans. How convenient that they should bring him exactly one of the things he was looking for. Behind them they had a cart and a wagon, probably hauling goods to another village for the day.

"You, humans," he said, stepping on to the path.

Several of them gasped and muttered "Youkai!" and looked torn between grabbing their weapons and fighting, or running for their lives.

"Be quiet or die where you stand," Sesshoumaru said. "I require something from you."

One of them, probably the leader, stepped forward hesitantly. "Of c-course, my lord. W-what do you need?"

"Food."

"B-begging your pardon, lord, but I'm sure nothing we have would be suitable to someone like yourself."

"Youkai don't eat this stuff!" another man said, his hand still on his sword hilt. "Unless you mean you wanted to eat us! And I'm not going without a fight!"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes.

"W-what he means, l-lord--" the first man began again, but stopped.

Sesshoumaru raised his hand for silence. Then he looked down, and pushed the girl out from behind him. "Pick something."

The girl looked up at him, and then to the men, who nervously nodded at her. She walked up to the cart, grabbed a few things quickly, and then returned to his side with a smile on her face.

"Go," Sesshoumaru said to them, stepping back as the men quickly began moving again.

"What was that?" one of the men said lowly under his breath.

"Hmph. Probably fattening _her_ up to eat," the angry one said.

They obviously didn't know enough about youkai to keep their voices silent until they were well out of one's reach. But Sesshoumaru didn't care at the moment. He looked down at the girl, whom he expected to be eating her food. But her smile had fallen and she looked worriedly back at the men. He raised an eyebrow at her. She began hopping up and down, and pointing in the direction they had gone.

"There's something up ahead," he said after the men, not really caring if they heard or not.

"We're grateful for the warning, my lord!" he heard the leader call.

Sesshoumaru turned away. At least that one knew how to act. Respect, fear, and obedience. Humans were wary of youkai, as they should be. But most humans were stupid, too. They either attacked or ran, blindly throwing their lives or possessions away. Some youkai were little better than animals, he admitted, and like animals, humans could easily kill them. But youkai such as himself were owed the proper deference by humans inside or outside of their territory. Unfortunately, most humans, especially those outside of his lands, senselessly wasted their lives in front of him, before they could comply. Which brought him to his next problem.

He looked down at the girl, who was quickly eating everything that she had taken. She should have saved some of it for later. But then, it seemed that she never stopped for food in the last three days, and must be incredibly hungry; plus, she probably ate whatever she got as fast as she could, if she didn't know when her next meal was coming.

Sesshoumaru breathed in the air. There was a village in the direction that the humans had been coming from, but there was a much closer one if they cut through the forest.

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru said loudly. Jaken abruptly sat up. "We're leaving."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama!" he said, standing up. "I am ready to go!"

"Not exactly. The girl and I are leaving. You are going to do something else."

"But, Sesshoumaru-sama! Why?"

"She needs a new garment. I am taking her to the next village. I can't send her alone, and she won't go with you. There is no reason for both of us to go."

"But, Sesshoumaru-sama, I want to be of use to you!" Jaken cried.

"That is why you are going ahead to track down an old acquaintance of mine. He should be somewhere past the western lands. Take the dragon."

"Past the western lands? Mazou?"

"Yes. Come back to the western tip of these woods with him or a message as quickly as you can."

"What should I tell him?"

"The fact that I, Sesshoumaru, require his presence should be enough. But if he presses you, and he most likely will, tell him that it's about a sword."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"And," Sesshoumaru said, taking off the remains of his armored plate and attaching it to the dragon, "have this repaired."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken said sulkily, as he got on to the dragon. "How long do you think the human will be following you?"

"For as long as I decide."

"Well, at least it's quiet," Jaken muttered.

"Just noticed that, did you? I don't think she _can_ speak. Now go."

Jaken nodded crossly, and then he and the dragon disappeared into the sky.

"Come," Sesshoumaru said to the girl.

She walked beside him at first, but quickly fell behind due to the underbrush and obstacles that weren't present in the fields or on the path. Sesshoumaru found himself taking smaller steps to accommodate her, half wondering why he was doing so. But no, he decided that he was going to keep her for a while, and that meant keeping up with her, or letting her keep up with him. He was also going to have to find something to call her besides 'girl,' he supposed. Since she couldn't speak, it might be some time before his curiosity was satisfied.

They reached the village by midday, and Sesshoumaru paused. He really, really did not want to go into the village. Maybe he should have made Jaken do this. But Jaken would have the same effect that he would, and at least he had a head on his shoulders. Jaken would probably end up getting annoyed and burning the entire thing down, without accomplishing what he went in to do. Sesshoumaru looked at the girl, and then back at the village. There was no other way to get clothes for the girl, and he was on the absolute edge of tolerance for her smell. It could be days before another wagon would come by with what he needed. He thought about going in alone, simply taking several items and coming back, but the girl would probably not understand the concept of 'stay.' And she really should be properly washed, not just dunked in a river.

"We wait until dark," he said, sitting down at the edge of the tree line. The girl sat down across from him and stared up into his face. He was beginning to wonder what was so damn fascinating about him. And the girl's stare was a bit unnerving, even to a youkai. She hardly moved, or even blinked. He turned his head in the other direction, pretending to be interested in something else. When he looked back, she was still staring.

"Don't you have anything else to do? Go pick flowers or something."

The girl smiled and suddenly jumped up, moving a few feet away to a patch of wildflowers. He relaxed against the tree, and watched her out of the corner of his eye. After a few minutes, she walked back over, and dumped the flowers in his lap. Sesshoumaru blinked. She took his random suggestion like an order, thinking that _he wanted_ flowers brought. She was standing, but was practically at his eye level. She had a satisfied looking smile on her face, waiting for him to say something.

"Sit down by the tree and wait."

She did so, plopping herself next to his left side. Sesshoumaru picked up the flowers and put them in the grass next to his other side. It was going to be a long wait until dark.

When night came, Sesshoumaru was ready. He had been watching the village all day, and had picked out where he wanted to go. It was more of a small town, really, being larger and more developed than a simple farming area. He led the girl around the outskirts of the place, and headed for a house at the back that was the most expensive looking. Only a few rooms in the main house had burning lights, and it seemed that just one person was there, a woman. Locating the room that she was in, Sesshoumaru went up to the window and rapped at its frame. He stood with his back against the house, where he couldn't be seen. A light approached the window.

"Yes?" a woman's voice timidly said. "Is someone there?"

"Can you see to it that this child is washed and clothed?" he said, holding the girl up by the back of her rags.

The woman made a motherly noise. "Poor thing. Of course I can. Why don't you both come in?"

"I would rather not. Bring her back here when you are done." He looked at the girl. "Go with her," he ordered. "I'll be waiting." He extended his arm to the window. But the child began squirming and tried to move away from the woman's hands. What was wrong with her? The girl had seemed eager to do whatever he said, until just now. She didn't seem to want to let him out of her sight for some reason.

"Why won't you come in?" the woman repeated. "She looks like she doesn't want to come without you."

"I would rather not, and I am certain that you would rather I not. Girl, go." But the child had now reached up and latched her hands around his arm.

"Please, come in. I only want to help the girl, as you seem to."

This was quickly becoming more complicated than it should have been. Beginning to grow annoyed with the situation, but seeing no immediate alternative to his problem, Sesshoumaru finally stepped away from the house and into the view of the window. He heard the woman gasp as the light of her lantern hit him. Her gaze quickly looked him over, finally hovering over his face and hair.

"Youkai," she breathed, as she took an involuntary step back.

"Still want me in?"

"If you wish it," she said after a pause.

Sesshoumaru stepped through the window in one smooth movement, set the girl on the floor, and looked at the woman, who was acting cautious, but without any signs of her initial shock.

"Please follow me, my lord," she said, leading Sesshoumaru out of the room. This one was brave or stupid, he decided, walking down a dark hallway with a strange youkai behind her. Lucky for her, he wasn't here to kill.

"In here," the woman said, stepping aside for Sesshoumaru and the girl to walk in a doorway. She followed, lit several lanterns in the room, and slid the door shut behind her. She stirred the fire left from the day, and added more wood, before putting water to heat over it. Then the woman disappeared into an adjoining room for a number of minutes before she returned with several pieces of cloth. Sesshoumaru sat down cross-legged facing the wall, with his eyes half closed and a disinterested expression on his face. The girl sat down as well, imitating his stance. He heard the woman pour water into a tub.

"Come here. Little girl?"

The child didn't move. Sesshoumaru reached behind his back and poked her. "Go," he said. He heard her move and slowly walk across the wooden floor, probably looking back to make sure he was still here. "Burn her clothes," he instructed the woman.

"Yes."

Soon he heard the sound of splashing. The woman laughed. "And what's your name?" she said in a sweet voice. "Don't you have anything to say?"

"She doesn't speak," Sesshoumaru said.

"Oh, that's too bad. May I ask how you came to be traveling with a human child, my lord? She _is_ human?"

"She is, and you may not." Sesshoumaru still wasn't entirely sure _as_ to how he came to be traveling with a human child himself. "But if you are so desperate for conversation, perhaps you will tell me why you seem to be so comfortable around youkai."

There was a silence, except for the sound of pouring water. So long a silence that Sesshoumaru thought that she wasn't going to answer, which was fine. He had only half expected a reply. "Like humans, there's some good and some bad, but tales are only told about the bad ones," the woman finally said. "And I haven't been around that many. I've only seen a few, and met less. As the area's lord, my husband occasionally has dealings with some nearby ones. And if you had wanted to kill, you wouldn't have approached in the way that you did," she added.

"I certainly hope you aren't counting myself among the 'good' ones."

"I never said that, my lord, only that you have no intentions this night." She paused again. "One of my cousins in the western lands even insists that living on youkai claimed land is excellent. He says that bandits and other youkai alike hardly ever enter the heart of the lands for fear of the taiyoukai's wrath. All they have to do is recognize him, and give him something if he requests it--a small price for a peaceful life. My cousin says that he's only even seen his lord a few times."

"Taiyoukai are busy," he said. "But I'm sure they patrol their lands more often than that."

"So you truly are a lord, then. I thought you might be--so different from the youkai around here," she said. Then she spoke to the girl. "There now. All done, child."

Sesshoumaru stood up and turned around. The girl was standing in a new yellow and orange yukata, and was smiling at him. She was clean and her damp hair was even shiny. The smell of blood was still in the air, but they would leave that behind. The woman was kneeling, straightening up the girl's clothing.

"This should fit you just fine, and a little room to grow. It belonged to one of my daughters when she was younger. All the children are with their father right now, visiting his relatives. Is there anything else I can get for her, my lord?"

"I do not intend to pay you."

"I realize that. But I can spare it."

"Then wrap up some suitable food."

The woman left and returned a few minutes later with a small bundle. He took it without comment and looked around the room, noticing that there wasn't an opening to the outside.

"And the nearest exit?"

"Through that room," she said, indicating the direction with her head.

"Come," he said to the girl, who smiled and waved to the woman. Without looking back, he began to walk. The girl followed, and the woman watched them go. They were soon out of the town and back in the forest. Sesshoumaru walked until he found a suitable clearing to stop at.

He sat down and waited for the girl to follow him. Then he took only a little food out of the bag and gave it to her, knowing that she would probably devour the whole of it if allowed. She finished it and looked at him. "Go to sleep."

Sesshoumaru sat down against a tree. Damn his hanyou brother. Even though Tenseiga had saved him, it had not restored his energy to its fullest. He would have to sleep tonight, if only for a few minutes. But it would be the last time, for he was almost completely healed. The girl was still sitting up. Maybe she wasn't tired yet. Not particularly caring, he leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes.

Sesshoumaru was asleep when something poked him sharply in the chest. He instantly and instinctively awoke, somewhat surprised that he hadn't felt anything malicious approach. He quickly grabbed and flung whatever it was to the ground, leaning over it with eyes shining red to let it know that it had picked the wrong thing to annoy. It was the girl. He released his grasp and his eyes faded. For a brief instant, he wondered how she was going to react. She was still staring at his eyes, but hers were more filled with startled surprise than anything resembling fear.

"What?"

She pointed into the woods. Two pairs of green eyes were looking at them from a short distance, one set closer than the other. For whatever reason, the girl hadn't gone to sleep yet, and had seen them. He hadn't been paying attention to sensing them in his sleep, because they weren't a threat to him, and they were nowhere near close enough to attack. If they had tried to sneak up and grab the girl, he would have noticed them eventually. It probably would have been a close call, though. If he slept in the future, he would have to make sure that he was aware of everything, not just things potentially threatening to him. How annoying. He sat up and looked back at the girl. He still needed to sleep.

"Sleep over here," he said, pointing with his arm. "They won't come this close."

She quickly scurried over and curled up at his side, grabbing his arm and pulling it around her. Sesshoumaru stared down at her for a startled moment. Not exactly what he'd had in mind. But he had to give the child credit; they could both sleep comfortably now. Even if he looked dead, the things wouldn't come _this_ close.

After she went to sleep, Sesshoumaru watched the eyes a bit more, wondering how long they would stay once their owners realized that they wouldn't be getting a human. Starting to grow annoyed, he flashed his eyes in their direction, and lifted his hand up, beginning to let the green energy show around it. The eyes disappeared, their owners obviously realizing that it wasn't worth their trouble. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, and let the energy dissipate, once more resting his arm on the girl. It felt somewhat odd doing so, but with her there, there was really nowhere else to put his arm. In her sleep, she reached up and closed her tiny hands around his wrist.

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Thanks a bunch to everyone who has left reviews telling me that this was good and encouraging me to keep going! Thank you!


	10. The Beginning: Day 4, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does, so don't sue me.

----------

Rin woke up early the next morning, some part of her still fearing that Sesshoumaru-sama would be gone. But he wasn't. He was nearby, sitting against a tree. She got up and sat down across from him. He looked at her, and she took the opportunity to stare into his odd eyes, which almost seemed to shine golden by themselves in the gray light. They sat that way for only a moment before he looked away from her and stood up. Rin soon heard noises and stood up as well, moving behind him in case something else scary was there. But it wasn't something scary, it was just a group of men walking along the path with their wagons.

Sesshoumaru-sama stopped them. They talked, though the men didn't seem to want to. All of the men seemed to be nervous about something, but Rin wasn't sure what. One of the men mentioned youkai, which made Rin think of the monster in the woods the day before. Maybe they were worried about getting caught by youkai in the woods. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru-sama told her to get some food, and the men let her. She quickly grabbed the nearest thing on the wagon, and then returned to where she had been standing, a part of her wondering why they let her have the food. No one she had met before had ever been so generous about giving food away.

Then the men left, going in the direction that the monster had been yesterday. Rin didn't want the monster to get the nice men who let her have some food. She tried to get their attention, but they were already moving and didn't see her. When Sesshoumaru-sama looked back down at her, Rin pointed at the men, worried. Sesshoumaru-sama stared at her with a puzzled expression for a moment, before an annoyed look crossed his face. But he finally warned the men about the thing by the path. Satisfied, Rin quickly began eating all that she took. She had been so hungry the last days, and the food was good, much better than what she was used to getting.

She looked up at him. But he didn't seem to notice her, and was instead waking Jaken up. She stood beside Sesshoumaru-sama as he talked to Jaken, sending him to do something. Rin wasn't really paying attention to what they said, as she was more interested in her food. Then Jaken and the dragon left, and Sesshoumaru-sama looked back at her after watching them go. After she finished her food, Rin looked up at him, ready once again to do whatever he asked.

"Come."

She walked beside him as he cut through the forest, wandering her way through the logs and underbrush as she went. She made a game of it, seeing how long she could stay beside him before she would have to move to go around some barrier. He seemed to have no trouble navigating through the woods, moving with an almost unnatural sort of grace, while she had to haphazardly scurry around. He was quiet, but the day passed quickly for Rin, since she was genuinely happy for the first time in as long as she could remember. They reached the edge of the woods by the afternoon, and Rin could see a village in the distance. Sesshoumaru-sama sat down and said that they would wait until dark.

Rin sat down across from him, once again staring at him. He looked at her, and then looked away. But she continued looking. She really never had seen anyone like him before. She wondered if this was the only reason that something told her that he was different. No, there was something else besides his looks that was different about him. Very different. She was still looking at him when he looked back at her.

"Don't you have anything else to do? Go pick flowers or something."

Rin did so, happy to have Sesshoumaru-sama talk to her, much less ask her to do something. She moved a bit away to where some flowers grew, picking only the prettiest ones. After she was satisfied with what she had done, Rin stood up and brought the flowers back over to him. She waited for a response to her efforts, but he only told her to sit down and wait. So she did.

When Rin opened her eyes, the afternoon light was fading, and the sun had already set. She must have fallen asleep. She immediately and worriedly looked to her side, relieved to find Sesshoumaru-sama sitting in the same spot that he had been earlier. He said nothing, but looked down at her before turning away. He did that a lot, she abruptly realized, looking at her almost quizzically for a moment, then looking away as if he couldn't figure something out. But she didn't care; she was glad that he was still there. At first she had followed because she had wanted to, then she followed because she had no other choice. And now that he told her to come, she was afraid of losing him. Afraid that if she lost sight of him, he might disappear and not return.

When the night was black, he stood up and told her to come. They walked toward the village and around its edge, finally arriving at a house at the back. Rin wondered what they would do there. A woman in the house talked to Sesshoumaru-sama, and he picked Rin up by the back of her shirt, holding her where she could see the woman. The woman looked nice and smiled at Rin, but when Sesshoumaru-sama moved to hand Rin to the woman, Rin began squirming and grabbing at anything she could. She didn't want to go with the woman. He said that he would be waiting, but Rin didn't want to lose him. He was telling her to do something, and she wanted to do what he wanted, but she couldn't. She had to stay with him--if she left, he might go away forever, just like everyone else had. Then she would be alone again.

It now seemed that Sesshoumaru-sama wasn't going to leave; instead, he was coming in with her. He set her on the ground, and they both followed the woman. The woman led them to a room, where she busied herself while Sesshoumaru-sama sat down on the floor, a slightly annoyed expression on his face. Rin moved next to him and sat down as well.

The woman returned. "Come here. Little girl?" She looked at Rin.

Rin looked uncertainly at the woman, but didn't move. Then Sesshoumaru-sama gave her a little push. "Go."

She slowly did as she was told, but looked back to make sure that he wasn't going to leave. The woman helped Rin undress and climb into a tub. The water was warm and Rin happily splashed around. She had never had a real bath, much less one inside with hot water. The woman poured water over Rin's hair, and combed it for her. She even talked to Rin, even though Rin didn't answer back. Then the woman talked to Sesshoumaru-sama. The subject of youkai came up, which Rin thought was an odd thing to talk about. She didn't fully understand the conversation, but got the impression that Sesshoumaru-sama was maybe an important person.

Then the woman helped Rin dry off, and combed Rin's hair again. Rin noticed that her hair was no longer dirty and brown, but black, shiny, and actually very pretty. The woman even gave her new clothes to wear. Very nice clothes, nicer than Rin had ever dreamed of having. As Rin saw her old clothes lying on the floor, she once again noticed that they had blood on them, and she momentarily wondered how it had happened. Then the woman disappeared for a moment, and came back with a small bundle. Sesshoumaru-sama took it and told Rin to come, and he began to walk out of the room. Rin turned to smile and wave at the nice woman, who waved back at her.

Soon they were out of the village and back in the woods, where Sesshoumaru-sama stopped. He sat down and gave her some food out of the bundle. She finished it and looked back at him.

"Go to sleep."

He leaned against a tree and glanced at her once more, before closing his own eyes and leaving Rin by herself. But the moon and stars were bright, and she could still make things out. And she didn't feel really alone, since she could see Sesshoumaru-sama sitting by the tree. Rin wasn't tired, so she just sat. She unconsciously felt her sleeve. The fabric was soft and silky, not at all like what she had had before. Rin then ran her fingers through her hair. It was also silky. Some of the girls in the village had had hair like this, and Rin always wished that she did as well. It had never occurred to her that the other girls' hair was pretty simply because they had had the opportunity to wash it.

Rin looked at her clothes again, making her think about her day. It was the first real day that she had walked with him, and not merely followed unwanted. Sesshoumaru-sama would let her stay now, Rin realized as she thought back. He had taken the time and trouble to get her food and new clothes this day. And he was still nice to her.

Not only was _he_ nice to her, but other people were nice to her when she was with him. Something about him made them do whatever he asked. She questioned if it had anything to do with the feeling that told her that he was different. A small part of her wondered why someone like him would care at all about someone plain like her. But since he seemed to and was letting her stay with him, it was all she could do to do whatever she could to please him.

Suddenly, Rin heard a noise in the underbrush. The sound of rustling leaves made her turn her head. She searched around for the source of the noise, but saw nothing. A few seconds later, she heard the noise again. This time Rin found a set of glowing green eyes to go along with the noise, and another pair behind the first. They were moving closer. Those things must be like the monsters that the villagers talked about. Not wanting to be alone in the dark woods with a youkai, Rin scooted closer to Sesshoumaru-sama. The eyes were still coming closer. Rin looked at Sesshoumaru-sama. He was still asleep. As the eyes moved closer again, Rin began to get scared, and she made up her mind. She tapped at Sesshoumaru-sama, trying to get him to wake up.

Before Rin had time to register what had happened, she was on the ground. Sesshoumaru-sama was over her, holding her down with one hand, his face shadowed except for glowing eyes. Then just as suddenly, he sat back up and regarded her as he always did. But Rin still continued to look at him. It was not so much what he had done--she just assumed that she had startled him, waking him up so unexpectedly. People jumped sometimes when you woke them up. But his eyes, they had done that...thing. Shining by themselves--not even golden, but a horrible red. When he was hurt, his eyes had been red like blood, but they didn't shine. For a moment, it reminded her of the eyes of the things in the woods, which she suddenly remembered. She looked back at him.

"What?"

Rin pointed into the woods, where the eyes were. He glanced in their direction, and seemed to be considering something.

"Sleep over here. They won't come this close."

Rin went over to where he pointed. As she moved, she made a split second decision to do more than that. The things weren't going away, and she was still scared that they would come nearer. She sat down next to Sesshoumaru-sama, and took his outstretched arm, pulling it around her. She curled up at his side, a small part of her wondering if he was going to let her stay. He hadn't told her to come so near, and might not want her to. But he said and did nothing, so Rin remained.

She saw that the eyes were still there, but she didn't care. She knew that the eyes wouldn't come this close to Sesshoumaru-sama; he wasn't afraid of them, just as he wasn't afraid of anything else. And since she was with him, she didn't have to be afraid, either. The eyes were still there, but Rin shut her eyes, blocking them out. She relaxed. She felt warm, and safe. Nothing would get her here. Rin suddenly realized that he was holding her again, but this time he wasn't letting go and walking away. The fact that he didn't push her away this time told her for certain that he wouldn't leave her behind now, but would instead even wait for her. And he wasn't going to disappear if she let him out of her sight, she realized. Nothing could make him leave unless he wanted to. She wouldn't be alone again.


	11. The Beginning: Day 5, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does, so don't sue me.

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Sesshoumaru awoke feeling refreshed before the dawn, and before she did. The sky was dark, and shadowed by the trees overhead. He looked down at the girl, who was still curled up next to him. She was cleaner and didn't look as bad, but was still just as pathetic as any human. So weak. She was taking slow, sleepy breaths, and he could hear her heart beating in the stillness of the night. Sesshoumaru wondered how she could feel so safe and secure sleeping next to a youkai such as himself. He could kill her with no effort at all before she even woke up from her dream. Or not.

For the first time, the girl slept until long after the sun had risen. Then she began to move in her sleep, and in a few minutes more, she was awake. She looked up at him, but didn't move right away. Then she put both her hands around the arm draped over her, and sat that way for a moment, before she sat up. He watched her, curiously. When he did nothing, the girl held his limp hand out, turning it over in her own. She held one of her small hands up to his palm, before she turned his hand over and ran one of her fingers over the top of his claws. She pulled a finger up and looked at the underneath of the claw.

"Those are sharp."

The girl glanced at him and left the claws alone, just looking at his hand more. She pulled his sleeve up when she noticed the edge of one of the magenta marks, and looked at his wrist. She traced over the marks with her finger. Then she looked at his face and did the same thing with the lines on his nearest cheek. He raised an eyebrow at her, before frowning slightly. Was _this_ why she was following him? Because he looked different? She stared into his eyes for a moment, looked at his forehead, and then at the other side of his face. Then she hesitantly reached for his other sleeve, as if unsure of what she would find. She pulled it taught toward her, and waved the sleeve several directions that it would not have gone if an arm had been inside. Then she stood up, her head almost level with his. She pulled a strand of his hair forward, and watched it shimmer in the light as she moved it. She held it up to her own hair, looking at the dark against light. Then she dropped her hands and smiled at him, seemingly satisfied.

Sesshoumaru watched her, unsure of what to think. Then he reached for the bag that they had gotten from the house and handed it to her. "Pick one thing. Save the rest." She did as she was told, and he stood up. "Let's go." They began walking through the woods, Sesshoumaru making for a spot where they could meet Jaken. The girl happily walked beside him, in front of him, behind him, almost dancing circles sometimes. They crossed the forest in silence, Sesshoumaru not having anything to say, and the girl not saying anything. They found the path once more, and continued on it until Sesshoumaru parted with it again, leaving its winding turns to cut across the rest of the woods. By the afternoon, he had found a place suitable to wait, with the trees at his back and the land beginning to clear ahead.

He sat down, as did the girl. At least she wasn't staring at him, instead playing with some flowers at her feet. Perhaps she had gotten all the curiosity out of her system that morning. But that meant that that wasn't the reason she was following him. If she had only been curious, she would have left already. He looked at her again, and then turned his attention to the countryside. A few travelers passed as the day drew on, and they looked at the two by the trees oddly, some with curiosity at the pair, but most with fear, only caring that one of the two was a youkai. Sesshoumaru didn't acknowledge any of them, but the girl by his side smiled and happily waved at everyone who went by.

Sesshoumaru surveyed the area. There was nothing around them, not even anything that would harm the girl. "You know how to fish, do you not?" he asked, remembering the food that she had brought him in the woods. "Go to that stream and get some if you are hungry." The girl smiled at him and ran off. A stream ran at the far bottom side of the slowly sloping hill that they sat on. It was a short distance away, but she could still see him from its bank. The child waded in and stood in the stream, rather unsuccessfully trying to catch fish.

Sesshoumaru watched her, somewhat amused. She was so intent in watching the fish that she eventually stopped looking back at him, and even disappeared from view as she waded downstream. It didn't matter, she was just over the hill and he could still smell her, and there wasn't anything around. He rarely confronted other youkai, in fact. Most sensed him well before he was in the area, and retreated. Those that he did come across were usually territorial youkai, and either hid in their holes or made their presence known without conflict. Only truly stupid ones attacked him.

"Sesshoumaru-saamaaaaaaa!"

The girl screamed? That voice was certainly not Jaken's, and no one else would be calling. There was also a large youki suddenly in the area, practically appearing out of nowhere. Not nearly large enough that it would be a challenge to him, and small enough that it should have known to keep its distance when it sensed him. And it was in the girl's direction. But since when could she speak? However, not particularly wanting her dead, he decided to investigate. He moved almost instantly over the hill, appearing beside the girl, who had jumped out of the stream. Not caring that he simply flickered into existence next to her, she jumped behind his leg. Sesshoumaru took the situation in.

Across the water was a brown dog youkai, its head standing slightly higher than a man's and its mouth open. It _had_ sensed him in the area; in fact, it had been heading toward him, until it had spotted a snack along the way. It hadn't stopped its attack because it perceived him as a nearby threat, until the girl had screamed out his name. The dog's body rippled and contorted in a glow of energy, shrinking and taking the form of a wild looking young youkai with dark features, and dressed in armor. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

"Sesshoumaru-dono. Jaken said you wanted me?"

"Mazou. I need information, on sword makers." Sesshoumaru motioned for Mazou to follow him, as he walked back to the comfortable spot where he had been sitting. Mazou fell into line at his left side, at which point the girl moved behind to his right. And she wasn't just walking either. This time she was practically attached to his leg, holding on to his clothes with both of her hands. He sat down by a tree, and Mazou sat across from him. The girl sat almost behind him, peeking out from beside his shoulder.

"Toutousai is the best," Mazou began. "But--"

"I have seen Toutousai. He refuses to make me one."

"You kill him?"

"No. I still may find a way to pressure him into it, if other options fail. But for now, he is out of reach. _You_ are versed in youkai weapons; who else could make a sword fit for I, Sesshoumaru?"

"First, you'll need a power to make if _from_, if you know what I mean. And great weapons of power require skill to make. There's no one like Toutousai...." Mazou tapped his head slowly, and then suddenly snapped his fingers. "Although a number of years ago, I did hear rumors about an apprentice of his that he threw out because he 'went bad.' What was his name...? Kaijinbou!"

"And where can this 'Kaijinbou' be found?"

"It's said the southern forests, though that's been decades. But he's probably still around down there somewhere. However, if you do find him, be ready. They say he'll double cross anyone that crosses his path."

"And when will Jaken return?"

"It will take a little longer. It was even worse than last time."

Sesshoumaru refused to concede to Mazou's hint.

"Come on, tell me. I did fly all the way out here. No? Hmm, whatever it was must have beat you then, or at least lived to tell about it. Ah, anyway, it doesn't matter. Actually, I'm headed on my way off east for a while." He stood up. "If that's all?"

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"If you track down Kaijinbou, let me know sometime you come back west. Jaken will be back with your armor sometime late tomorrow, by the way." He turned to leave, but looked back around. "Aren't you even going to bring it up? I'm dying to know, what's with the human?"

"What about her?"

"Why's she with you?"

"She's mine."

"Obviously. Why?"

"Because I am interested."

"In what? It's just a human."

Sesshoumaru said nothing.

"Gonna sell her?" Mazou persisted.

"To who?"

"Gonna kill her?"

"It would be done by now."

"Gonna eat her?"

"Disgusting."

"To each his own. I thought maybe you had finally developed a taste. Eh, you never were one for talk; it's like trying to get answers out of a wall. But if you ever need someone to take her off your hands, just let me know!" With that, Mazou's form shifted, and he was gone in a ball of light, shooting off into the sky. Sesshoumaru watched the ball of energy disappear. Mazou was one of the youkai that roamed the land past his western borders. Mazou was young, loud, brash, and obnoxious, but all in his clan were knowledgeable and skillful in weapons and had their uses. Plus, they weren't stupid. They realized that Sesshoumaru or his father could have extended their borders if they chose to.

Sesshoumaru reached behind his back and pulled the girl in front of him. "So you can speak." She said nothing. "I just heard you." She stared at him. "Say something."

"Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Yes, that is my name. Do you have one?"

She nodded.

"What is it?"

"Rin," she said after a moment.

"Why are you following me, Rin?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

This wasn't going anywhere quickly. He supposed that he shouldn't expect her to go from not saying a word to conversing instantly. "Why don't you try fishing again?"

The child was awful at catching fish. Sesshoumaru soon decided that what she had brought him must have taken her hours to catch, or was stolen. He had walked back to the stream with her, and she had waded into the water, while he leaned over the edge of the bank. He never had a reason to eat, but skewering the silver shapes out of the water was a game he practiced long in his youth, sharpening his speed and precision. His long, quick arm easily picked the fish out of the water, though he threw most of them back. She was supposed to be the one fishing, though she was clearly at a disadvantage. Her hands were almost too small, and weren't nearly fast enough. Having claws helped as well, since one didn't have to hold on to the slippery fish with fingers alone. She eventually caught one after several hours of practice and watching him. She quickly waded out of the stream and triumphantly brought its wriggling form up to him. He killed it, and laid it with two that he had set aside.

She clapped. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Rin, get some firewood."

She ran off. Another thing that Sesshoumaru hadn't needed to bother with before presented itself--fire. Most humans liked their food cooked. He watched her gathering sticks. This one was odd. For days she wouldn't let him out of her sight except when the need to sleep demanded it, and today she ran around freely. Though she had been clingy enough earlier; but that was probably just due to Mazou's sudden and threatening appearance. And then there was the matter of her suddenly speaking. Not speaking very much, he admitted, but speaking. Not to mention everything else she had done during the last six days. The girl was peculiar, but at least it would give him something to think about during the night while she slept.

She brought the sticks back to him and dumped them in a pile. Sesshoumaru started a fire, and cooked the fish, all the while telling himself that it was beneath him. But she didn't know how to do it, and it had to be done. At least Jaken would be good for something when he came back. Sesshoumaru rarely did anything himself when others--youkai or human--could be made to do it for him. After the girl had eaten, darkness came, and she sat across from him, looking into the remains of the smoldering coals. Sesshoumaru decided to try and talk to her again.

"Rin." She looked at him. "Why did you suddenly start speaking?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Yes, what about me?"

"Rin needed Sesshoumaru-sama."

"And I need you to speak from now on," he replied, somewhat puzzled by her answer. She had been scared into talking? "Can you do that?"

She nodded.

"Do you not have a family?"

"Dead. Rin was all alone."

Sesshoumaru had suspected as much. But he noticed that she said "was" all alone, not "is" all alone. She obviously counted herself as not being alone anymore.

"Why are you following me?"

"Rin will go with Sesshoumaru-sama."

Not wanting to press his luck, Sesshoumaru decided that that was enough questioning for one night.

"Go to sleep, Rin."

She smiled and jumped up, coming over and once again curling up at his side. He looked at her, surprised. There was no reason for her to do that this night. There was hardly anything in the area, and he wasn't even going to be sleeping. He started to tell her so, but the girl spoke first.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama."

What was she thanking him for? Somewhat stunned, but seeing no real harm in it, Sesshoumaru allowed her to remain. Suddenly, she moved to look up at him.

"Are there youkai?"

"Youkai?" What did she mean, were there youkai?

"Close ones?"

"Probably," he answered vaguely, surprised by and unsure of how to respond to her question. Close ones? Did she mean other than the one that she was sitting next to? The girl moved a bit closer to him, and then was quiet. She soon fell asleep, and he began thinking about the curious girl who slept next to him.

She hadn't been scared of him, she had followed, and she had constantly stared. She hadn't let him out of her sight, she seemed to want to please him, and until recently, she didn't speak. Now he knew that her family had been killed and she had been left alone in the village. She had obviously been trying to help him in the woods, but did she not realize what he was? If the girl's parents were dead, perhaps she was never told of youkai. But even the youngest children should have heard stories in one way or another. And she had just asked him if there were any youkai around, so she must be somewhat informed. Even if she hadn't known when she saw him, she still should have recognized the warning signs of a threat. Maybe she was just stupid. Or not so stupid after all, since he didn't actually end up doing anything to her. Her apparent muteness could have come from being abandoned at such a young age, not having anyone to talk to, or both, he supposed. She had found her voice soon enough when it mattered. To call him, which slightly disturbed him for some reason.

Her staring must have been mere curiosity, he decided, for she stopped after her odd examination of him that morning. He paused for a moment and wondered why he had even allowed that odd display. He should have pushed her away, but he was curious. Curious as to why she found him so curious. She had also slept longer that morning, and this had been the first day that she hadn't been afraid to let him out of her sight. Something must have clicked in the child's mind. Did it have anything to do with letting her get so close to him the night before? It was mere necessity, so that they could both sleep comfortably. She slept next to him this night as well, though--uninvited and unasked for. But while there was no particular basis to let her stay there this night, he did for some reason. And for the same unknown reason she was following him, she would obey almost any request, and seemed to want his approval in whatever small tasks she did. It was all very interesting.


	12. The Beginning: Day 5, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does, so don't sue me.

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Rin woke up the next morning long after the dawn. The sunlight was sifting through the leaves above, its pattern on the forest floor always changing as the slight breeze blew. She looked up at Sesshoumaru-sama, but he did nothing. She touched his arm, which was next to her. Then she sat up. She was still curious about him. She started to move, but noticed his hand first. Rin had been so intent in looking at his face when he was close that she had only just noticed that his hands were different as well. She picked up his hand and looked at it, holding one of hers up to his. His were larger, of course, but the difference she noticed were the nails. Instead of being short and smooth like everyone else's, his were pointed and hard and didn't bend when you touched one. They looked like they might hurt if they scratched you. She turned his hand over and looked at the other side of the nails.

"Those are sharp."

Rin took the warning and left them alone then, and was about to put his hand down, when she saw that his arm had markings like his face did. She pulled up his sleeve a little, and traced over the marks on his wrist. Two dark stripes, just like the ones on each side of his face. She rubbed at one, applying a little pressure, wondering if the mark would wipe off. But it seemed permanent, like part of his skin, and natural for it to be there. She moved to look up at him, and drew her finger over the lines on the side of his face. Then she looked at his eyes. He was watching her--watching her look at him. But he still did nothing, so she only continued to stare at his eyes. They were golden and deep, almost unnaturally so. Rin finally decided that they reminded her of the color of an animal's eyes. They were also inexplicably hard to look into for very long. Every other time she had looked into his eyes, he had turned away after only a few seconds. But now that he returned her stare with his own silent gaze, Rin found herself wanting to look away, feeling like she was under examination. But still, his eyes were plain, with no trace of the red that had been there the night before. A small part of her wondered if it had ever even happened. It didn't seem possible for the eyes that she looked into now to have ever been like that.

She then looked at the marks on the other side of his face and his forehead before quickly deciding that they were no different from the ones that she had already inspected. Then Rin paused, before she made up her mind to reach for his sleeve. It wasn't one of the things that made him different, but it was curious nonetheless. She had seen it blowing in the wind several times, and now that she thought about it, she had never actually seen him use that arm. She tugged at the sleeve, pulling it to her without any resistance at all. He was missing an arm. Rin had seen village men uncertainly hobbling about without an arm or leg before, regaling anyone who would listen with stories of how it was lost. She wondered how Sesshoumaru-sama lost his arm. At any rate, he didn't seem bothered or inconvenienced by it, and hadn't even tied off his sleeve as many others did.

Rin then stood up, making his head almost level with hers. He was still watching her without moving, but she continued, reaching for the thing that made him immediately stand out above all else. She touched his hair, pulling a piece of it forward. It glistened as she moved it, and she held up a strand of her own hair to his, noticing how dull her newly shiny hair suddenly seemed in comparison. Then she dropped the hair, and ran her eyes over him once more. He did look different, and she had been curious about that by itself once she had noticed. Now she decided that Sesshoumaru-sama just looked different and that was simply all there was to it. Everyone looked a little different, him just more so than others. Though something else _made_ him different. But it didn't matter. It didn't matter to Rin if she ever figured out why he seemed different. He was different, but he was the same. Sesshoumaru-sama was Sesshoumaru-sama, the person who had been nice to her. She then dropped her hands and looked at him, waiting for whatever came next.

He looked at her again, perhaps trying to decide if she was really done. Then he gave her the bag with the food in it. "Pick one thing. Save the rest." Rin did as he said, and he watched her eat. She wondered why he never seemed to eat anything. But before she could give it further thought, he stood up. "Let's go." Rin walked with him through the woods, jumping around with newfound energy and happiness. She hardly paid attention to where they were going, until he stopped in the afternoon and sat down. They were at the forest's edge now, where the trees suddenly stopped except for a few sparse ones that lingered on the land before it turned into rolling meadows.

Rin sat down next to him, enjoying the afternoon sun on her face. She wondered why they were stopping. She realized that she wondered a lot of things. Sesshoumaru-sama rarely spoke to her, and never explained where they were going or what they were doing when he did. It was always only a simple command. She wondered why he didn't speak more to her. Was it because she didn't speak back? He had wanted to talk to her when she had first met him, and was in fact the only one to do so for as long as she could remember. A small part of Rin wondered if she should speak to him. But she couldn't. Something wouldn't let her. Not yet.

Rin boredly played with some flowers next to her, for there was little else to do. Several times throughout the day, people went by at the bottom of the hill. Rin waved to any when they saw her, but few waved back, which puzzled her. In fact, once they noticed her, they seemed even more hurried to move on.

"You know how to fish, do you not?" Sesshoumaru-sama suddenly asked her. "Go to that stream and get some if you are hungry."

Rin smiled and jumped up, happy to do what he asked, and also happy because she was hungry. She waded into the cool stream, tucked her nice clothes up so that the water wouldn't stain them, and waited for any fish to swim by. Many did, but she didn't catch any of them. She moved after the fish, walking in the direction that they swam. She looked back at Sesshoumaru-sama, who still sat by the trees. Then she turned her attention to the fish again. Rin had never really been good at fishing, never having had anyone show her how to do it. Whatever she did manage to catch was usually do to luck and long hours. Another fish swam around her legs. She made a grab for it, but missed. It moved only a short distance away, and she followed it. She tried to catch it again, but it swam out of her fingers. Rin stood up straight and pushed the hair out of her eyes.

It was then that she noticed something else in the sky besides the sun. Just over the trees and to the left of the lowering sun was a blue ball of light. Rin watched it, fascinated. It grew bigger, and she realized that it was coming closer. She forgot about the fish and watched as the ball of light did indeed come closer, finally hovering only a few feet from the opposite bank of the stream. Rin stared at it, fascinated by its odd beauty. It didn't occur to her to be afraid until the ball grew and distorted, its light disappearing. A sudden wind blew, and the ball shifted into the shape of a very large dog. It looked at her.

The whole event happened in mere seconds, though it seemed like agonizing hours to Rin. The thoughts flew through her head so quickly that she barely had enough time to register them all. Her eyes grew wide, and she backed up, jumping out of the stream and looking around for anyone, anything. Sesshoumaru-sama. Where was he? He had just been on the hill. He hadn't left, she knew, but she had lost him. She couldn't see him anymore, but she knew that he was still close. If she called to him, she knew that he would come. But she had been silent for so long. She had been quiet the day that she hadn't been killed. That idea had become almost a part of her, so lost in her mind that she didn't even think about it anymore. But being quiet wouldn't help her now. The only way not to be killed was to do something. Rin opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Had it been so long that she had forgotten how to speak?

Rin tried again. "...se..."

The dog took a step closer.

"Se...sho..." the sounds came out in a small voice. Rin was frozen, her eyes glued to the big dog. Some part of her knew that even if she could get her feet to move, she would not get far before it was on her. The dog moved into a crouching stance, and opened its mouth slightly.

Rin swallowed hard, then opening her mouth and forcing it to move against the part of her will that had held it still for so long. All she had to do was say it. If she didn't, she would die.

"Sesshoumaru-saamaaaaaaa!"

The words finally escaped her lips--she had done it. Now where was he? Rin looked around, but only saw the dog. She thought it was her imagination, but the dog actually looked to have stopped coming closer, and taken a step back. And now it was doing nothing, almost as if considering something. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru-sama was next to her. How he appeared so quickly Rin didn't know, but she immediately jumped behind his leg, putting him between herself and the dog. She knew that she would be safe now.

The dog suddenly glowed again, and it shrank, becoming a man. The dog man spoke to Sesshoumaru-sama, and Sesshoumaru-sama answered back. Then Sesshoumaru-sama began to walk back to the hill and the dog man came with him. Rin didn't want him to come with them; she wanted him to go away. The dog man gave Rin a scary looking grin as he walked, and she moved to Sesshoumaru-sama's other side. Sesshoumaru-sama hadn't given any indication that he had even noticed her yet, so she grabbed at his clothes, making sure he knew that she was still there. Once back on the hill, the dog man sat across from Sesshoumaru-sama, who Rin sat behind, occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure the dog man wasn't doing anything else.

But the dog man never even glanced in her direction. Instead, he talked to Sesshoumaru-sama, and it almost seemed that they knew each other. But Rin was still too scared to pay attention to what they said, and she was also lost in her own thoughts. The man across from her looked perfectly normal, but just a few minutes ago, he had been a giant brown dog. She didn't understand how, but he had changed, right in front of her eyes. Suddenly, he stood up, and looked at her again. She shrank back under his gaze. Then he looked at Sesshoumaru-sama. Rin was paying attention to what they were saying now because she heard the dog man say that he was leaving. He turned to go, but spun back around, switching his gaze between herself and Sesshoumaru-sama.

Then the topic of conversation turned to her. The dog man asked Sesshoumaru-sama about her. Rin listened, but Sesshoumaru-sama didn't say much. All she figured out was that Sesshoumaru-sama wasn't going to let anything happen to her, which for some reason, the dog man seemed to expect. He didn't seem to be satisfied with Sesshoumaru-sama's answers, either, and suddenly left in the same blue light that he came in. Rin looked on uncertainly, wondering if he might unexpectedly reappear again. But then Sesshoumaru-sama suddenly grabbed her and pulled her in front of him. He looked at her curiously for a moment, before he frowned slightly.

"So you can speak."

Rin looked at him.

"I just heard you."

She had just spoken, hadn't she? For the first time, she had spoken. But she had had to.

"Say something."

He wanted her to speak again. She had just uttered her first word in years. She didn't know what else to say, what she could say, or what she should say. So she said what she already had.

"Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Yes, that is my name. Do you have one?"

She nodded at him.

"What is it?"

Rin paused. Yes, she could say her name as well.

"Rin."

"Why are you following me, Rin?" he asked.

Suddenly unsure of what to do, she only said what she had said before.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

An annoyed look crossed his face before it was replaced by a curious one. Then he spoke again.

"Why don't you try fishing again?"

He walked back to the stream with her, and sat down by the bank. Rin watched him as she stood in the water. He was good at catching fish, much better than her. But she finally caught one, and he gave her two that he had caught. He told her to get some firewood, which she did a bit reluctantly at first, in case the dog man suddenly reappeared. But she soon decided that he wasn't coming back and that she would be safe from anything else as long as Sesshoumaru-sama was near. So she ran around the trees, gathering sticks and quickly bringing them back to him. He cooked the fish for her, and she hungrily ate all of it, but again wondered why she never saw him eating. He had never eaten the food that she had brought him in the woods, either--even telling her that he didn't need it. She didn't understand, but didn't care to think about it more. Soon it was dark, and they sat in silence until he broke it.

"Rin." She looked at him. "Why did you suddenly start speaking?"

She spoke because of him. "Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Yes, what about me?"

"Rin needed Sesshoumaru-sama," she said slowly, listening to the words as they came out of her mouth. It was good to talk again, she realized.

"And I need you to speak from now on," he told her. "Can you do that?"

Rin nodded. She had wanted to speak before, but wasn't sure that she could. And he wanted her to speak. Now that she finally had, she couldn't go backwards. But Rin found that she didn't want to. She would talk from now on.

He asked her about her family, and she told him that they were dead. Then he asked her about why she was following him again. Rin frowned. She would go with him, it was as simple as that. So she told him. He didn't answer back or ask her anything else, but told her to go to sleep.

She immediately moved over to him, without even considering the possibility that she should sleep any other way. He had let her the previous night, and it seemed natural to her. She lay down at his side, and her mind ran back over all the things that had happened to her. In a few short days, everything in her life had changed. All because of him.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said quietly. He made no response, but she knew that he had heard her. He noticed everything. She watched the remains of the coals peacefully flicker, and then abruptly be reddened by a sudden gust of wind. It reminded her of the strange wind that happened when the dog man came. She looked at Sesshoumaru-sama.

"Are there youkai?"

"Youkai?"

"Close ones?" she asked.

"Probably."

Rin moved a bit closer to him, and then closed her eyes. She had never actually seen youkai until she had left the village, but they seemed to be abundant here. There were the things in the woods that sounded like what a youkai was and then there was the dog man that afternoon. She was sure that he was a youkai. He was scary, even when he looked like a man. But Sesshoumaru-sama hadn't been afraid of him. She wondered about that. Anyone should be afraid of youkai unless they were one themselves. But Sesshoumaru-sama couldn't be a youkai. He wasn't scary, he was nice. A youkai wouldn't be nice to her. Still, she couldn't imagine anyone not being afraid of a youkai, unless they knew something that she didn't. Rin didn't understand, but she didn't care that she couldn't figure it out. It didn't matter as long as she was with him. She stopped thinking about it, and quickly fell asleep.


	13. The Beginning: Day 6, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I promise I'd give him food and water every day.

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The next morning, the girl rose much as she had the day before. Long after sunrise, she started to move in her sleep, and then woke up, remaining next to him. He decided to ask her again.

"Rin."

She looked up at him.

"Why are you following me?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama was nice to Rin," she said simply. "And Rin will do whatever Sesshoumaru-sama wants."

"Go play. Or eat if you're hungry."

She got up and ran off. Sesshoumaru digested this new information. Nice to her? The girl must have been bad off if she considered his cold and distant words nice. He had barely spoken five sentences to her. But that was probably the closest thing to a kind word that she had had in years. But so much so that she would follow him tirelessly across the wilderness? She had only followed him after he had used Tenseiga on her, but then, she hadn't seen him going anywhere before that, either. Did she even know what he did? Which made him wonder something else. Her body had been near the clearing when he found it. Had she been running to him? That thought also disturbed him somewhat.

Why had he saved her in the first place? That was simple, he had wanted to test Tenseiga. He had revived the girl and walked off, assuming that she would go on her way. When he was injured, he had even been half-thinking to try it out on the next dead thing he saw. He hadn't bothered to mention that to Jaken, who had annoyed him at first with the question of why he had saved the girl. He didn't need to explain himself to Jaken, so Sesshoumaru annoyed Jaken back by answering with silence. He also didn't mention to Jaken another fact that was bothering him. It was not so much that he had revived her, but that he had turned around in the first place.

Once he saw her lying there, there seemed little else for him to do _but_ use the sword on her. But he had smelled her blood and walked back. Why had he done that? He had wondered what became of the mysterious child that tried to help him and wasn't afraid of him. It was only curiosity, but _he_ shouldn't have been even mildly concerned with what became of some random human girl. Sesshoumaru looked back to where she was playing in the grasses with flowers and bugs. Since he knew why she was following him now, there was no real reason to allow her to stay. Though she would still follow unless he stopped her, as Jaken had pointed out. And yet, there was still something _interesting_ about the girl. Why would she devote herself entirely to someone, a youkai even, just because they were nice to her? Because she really has no one else, the thought echoed through his mind.

He supposed that there was no harm in allowing the girl to follow him, and she would make things interesting, at the very least. He would keep her for a while longer. Sesshoumaru watched her. Now she was playing in the stream, trying to catch fish or simply splashing around, Sesshoumaru couldn't tell. Then she spent the remainder of the morning picking flowers, laughing and talking to herself. Apparently tired out, she finally sat down next to him in the afternoon and began making a chain out of flowers. Sesshoumaru idly wondered if this was all that humans did with their time. She hummed a made up tune as she worked, and Sesshoumaru half-questioned if getting her to speak was really the most brilliant idea he had ever had. At least Jaken would have a surprise when he came back.

"Where is Sesshoumaru-sama going?" she suddenly asked.

"South."

"Why?"

"I require a sword."

She moved her head to look around him. She pointed to Tenseiga. "Sword."

"I don't like this one."

"Why not?"

"It's broken."

"Does Sesshoumaru-sama have a village to live in?" she asked after another moment.

"I don't need one."

"Rin didn't like the village. When will Jaken-sama come back?"

Jaken-sama. Where did she get _that_ from? Jaken would have another surprise when he returned. "Later today."

"Jaken-sama doesn't like Rin," she said. "Not like Sesshoumaru-sama, like the villagers."

After that she fell silent, and concentrated on whatever was so interesting about the flowers. The rest of the day was quiet, until a sudden 'whoosh' overhead announced Jaken's return.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken called, as the dragon neared the ground. "I am back!"

Jaken then got off of the dragon, and tried unsuccessfully to bring Sesshoumaru's heavy armor over to him. Sesshoumaru stood up, and got the armor off of the dragon himself, putting it on and adjusting it.

"Is it suitable, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken asked. "And did Mazou see you?"

"Yes. We are going to find a sword smith he said might be around the southern forests. Come Rin, we're leaving."

The girl quickly grabbed the small bag that had the remaining food in it and whatever flowers she thought most important, and fell into line beside him.

"You _named_ her?" Jaken asked as they walked.

"Not exactly."

"Rin has a name, Jaken-sama," she said.

"I thought she couldn't speak, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Seems she can."

Jaken looked back at the girl, who smiled at him. "Jaken-_sama_?" he repeated.

"Rin likes Sesshoumaru-sama, and Jaken-sama! Does Jaken-sama like Rin?"

"Hmph," Jaken said, answering her for the most part with silence, though some part of him was clearly pleased at having a 'sama' attached to his name.

They walked through the country in silence. The girl had eaten the last food out of her bag for dinner at dusk, which had been hours ago. It was long past dark now, and they had been walking since the afternoon.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, Rin is tired."

"Don't complain, girl," Jaken said.

Sesshoumaru looked at her. She never had a problem keeping up with him the first few days. But then she had been pushing herself not to lose him. Now, she knew for some reason that he didn't intend to leave without her, though he had never told her and had only barely acknowledged the fact to himself. But Sesshoumaru wasn't ready to stop for the night. He had already taken more than enough time recovering from Tetsusaiga's blast and waiting for his armor to be fixed, and he wanted to keep moving. But she probably needed to rest.

"Ride here until we stop," he said, picking her up and depositing her on the back of the dragon. She sat there happily, and even ended up naming the thing. They continued on until Sesshoumaru decided that they had gone far enough for the day. "We'll stop here."

The girl jumped off of "Ahun," which Jaken quickly led off. Sesshoumaru sat down against some rocks, curiously wondering if the girl was going to sleep next to him again. He questioned why he should even permit it. Since the girl, he couldn't remember the last time that he had touched a human when he didn't intend to kill it, not to mention the last time that a human had dared to touch _him_. The fact that she had no reservations or fears about it was just another thing that made her unusual. She immediately came over, and curled up at his side as she had done on previous nights. But then she sat back up. She tapped inquisitively at his armor, and then finally settled on simply lying next to him, one of her arms touching his. Armor must not be very comfortable to sleep on, he decided. It was better that she sleep this way anyway, since he did not intend to spend every night sitting motionless.

Almost immediately after she was asleep, Jaken came back. His eyes popped open and his jaw dropped.

"Not tired, Jaken?" Sesshoumaru asked, ignoring Jaken's reaction.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! The human dares to sleep that close to you? You're even letting her _touch_ you!"

Sesshoumaru wondered how Jaken would have reacted if he had seen how the girl slept the other nights. But he didn't particularly care to have Jaken's opinion on the matter, or on any others. "I see no problem."

"But Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"What's wrong, Jaken? Did you want to sleep next to me?"

"Certainly not!"

Amused, Sesshoumaru looked at Jaken, who was beginning to ramble, obviously afraid that he had offended and not wanting to face the possible consequences.

"That is, unless you wanted me to, Sesshoumaru-sama, but you don't. You don't even usually sleep, while I do. That is, I will do whatever you command, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Very well. And as I told you before, I do not need to explain myself to you, as I have already done so as much as I care to. It will not happen again?" It was not a question.

Jaken nodded.

"Now, why did you come back over here?"

Jaken hesitated. "I was going to ask how long she is to be with us, Sesshoumaru-sama, but--"

"I have already answered that question. However, there is something else that I wish to say."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"You are free to leave my service if you choose. If you remain, however, you will do whatever service is needed to assist I, Sesshoumaru."

"Of course, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"That may now include watching the girl sometimes. She is for all purposes mine and will continue to be so for as long as I choose. If anything happens to something that is mine, there will be consequences."

"I understand, Sesshoumaru-sama."

When no more was spoken, Jaken went back in the direction that he came.

Sesshoumaru paused in his thoughts. He had just called the girl his. She was, of course, but something had still bothered him about it. It had seemed natural enough to snap it at Mazou, but giving it as a warning sounded different. He shouldn't care one way or the other what might happen to some pathetic human, whether she was interesting or not. But something in him did.

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A very big thank you to each and every one of you who have left reviews!


	14. The Beginning: Day 6, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd give him lots of candy, except for chocolate.

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Rin woke up and looked at Sesshoumaru-sama. Before she could speak, he looked at her and ask her the same question he had asked the night before.

"Why are you following me?"

Why was that so hard for him to figure out? He kept saying it like there was some reason that she shouldn't come. What was wrong with her going?

"Sesshoumaru-sama was nice to Rin," she said. "And Rin will do whatever Sesshoumaru-sama wants."

"Go play. Or eat if you're hungry."

Rin got up, leaving him sitting alone. She ran around, enjoying the morning. He only sat, occasionally looking in her direction. That was fine; even back in the village, grownups never played. Rin played with flowers, dug in the dirt, and watched the dragonflies that zoomed around. It was much the same game that she had played in the village to entertain herself. Since she had mostly been alone, she had soon found many ways to have fun quietly by herself. She moved over to the stream to wash the dirt off of her hands and feet, and watched the small fish that swam in the sparkling water. She made a few half-hearted attempts to catch some from the bank as Sesshoumaru-sama had done, before deciding that she wasn't going to be able to.

Not being that hungry, she moved back to a thick spot in the grasses, and began picking flowers. She talked to herself as she played, trying to recall a favorite story about a princess who lived in a garden of magic flowers. The story was fuzzy, though, and all she could remember was that the princess picked flowers everyday. Rin couldn't even remember where she had heard the story, but it seemed that she had heard it often, and for a very long time before it had stopped being told.

When she thought that she had enough flowers, Rin walked back over to Sesshoumaru-sama and sat down next to him. She began making a necklace out of the flowers. She looked at Sesshoumaru-sama out of the corner of her eye. He was looking straight ahead, seemingly staring at nothing in particular. He hadn't spoken to her since that morning, so she spoke to him, beginning a short exchange. Sesshoumaru-sama was quiet, but would talk back if she ask him something, she learned. He said that he was going to get a new sword, and that his was broken. She wondered why he carried around a broken sword. He apparently didn't live anywhere, and only traveled with Jaken-sama. Rin had decided that Jaken-sama wasn't as bad as she had first thought, and that anyone traveling with Sesshoumaru-sama must deserve a 'sama' themselves. Jaken-sama didn't seem to like her very much, but Rin was sure that he would if she was nice to him.

She continued playing with the flowers until Jaken-sama returned, along with the dragon. Sesshoumaru-sama walked over to him, and put on something that Jaken-sama had brought back. They spoke a few words before Sesshoumaru-sama turned to her.

"Come Rin, we're leaving."

She jumped up and hurried to catch up with him as he began to walk. She had two flower rings around her neck, and a half finished third one that she attempted to complete as they walked. But Rin quickly gave up on that; she couldn't hold the extra flowers and string them together at the same time. So she discarded the unfinished chain and settled on swinging her small food bag from side to side as they walked. She also talked to Jaken-sama, which had gone well enough, she supposed. He hadn't said that he liked her, but he hadn't said that he didn't. She ate the rest of her food around sunset, and again wondered why she never saw Sesshoumaru-sama eating.

It had been dark for a long time when Rin began to get tired. She didn't want to walk anymore. Her feet hurt and she only wanted to stop. So she told him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, Rin is tired."

Jaken-sama told her not to complain, but Sesshoumaru-sama picked her up and set her on the back of the dragon.

"Ride here until we stop," he said.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama!" she said. It was nice riding here. She watched the dragon for a moment before she looked down at Jaken-sama.

"Jaken-sama, what's its name?" she asked, pointing to the dragon.

"It doesn't have one."

"Then Rin will give it one!"

"It doesn't need one."

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked.

"Give it one if you want," he said.

Rin thought for a moment. She wanted to pick a good name for Sesshoumaru-sama's dragon. "Rin will call it Ah and Un," she finally decided.

"It doesn't need two names," Jaken-sama said.

"Then Jaken-sama can call it Ahun. But Ahun has two heads. One name for each head! Is that good, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"It's fine."

Rin sat happily on Ah and Un, glad that she had picked a good name. It was nice riding and not having to walk. She even found that she could lie down comfortably, and did so, looking up at the stars as they moved. When Sesshoumaru-sama finally said that they would stop, Rin had almost fallen asleep several times.

She sleepily jumped off of Ah and Un, which Jaken-sama led away. Then she went over to Sesshoumaru-sama, who was already sitting down. She curled up next to him as she had done on the nights before, but something was different this time. He was wearing that armor now, and it was cold and hard. Rin had noticed it before, but she hadn't really paid attention to it. She wondered how he could sleep in something that looked so uncomfortable, but he showed no signs of removing it. She couldn't sleep like that so she moved, only lying beside him instead. But when Rin closed her eyes, she felt alone again, without proof that he was sitting barely a foot away. So she reached out her arm to touch his, and soon she was asleep.


	15. The Accepting: Day 7, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd build him a doghouse to live in.

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It was morning. Sesshoumaru had been up all night, as was usual for him. A few hours after Jaken and the girl had gone to sleep, he had gotten up and wandered the area at night. It was actually the first time that he had done so since he'd met the girl, though part of that was due to his own injuries. But he was fine now and just because she needed sleep was certainly no reason for him to sit in one spot all night every night, and the meadow that they were in was secure enough. He returned just after the dawn, finding her still asleep in the same spot that he had left her in, oblivious to the fact that he had ever been gone.

He wanted to leave the area before the morning passed. Sesshoumaru woke Jaken up with a kick, but was for some reason reluctant to do the same to Rin. This was the first morning that he had actually had the problem of how to wake her up. Finally, he settled on shaking her.

"Rin."

She opened her eyes. "Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"We're leaving."

She immediately jumped up and stood, ready to go.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken cried as he pulled at the dragon's reins. It was still sitting down, and was being disagreeable. The thing only listened to Jaken half of the time, and today it obviously wasn't ready to go. Sesshoumaru walked over, prepared to lead it himself, when he was intercepted by the girl.

"Jaken-sama? Let Rin try."

"You, girl?" Jaken asked. "What makes you think it will listen to the likes of you?"

The girl stepped in front of Jaken anyway. "Ah, Un, let's go." She tugged at the reins once. The dragon stood up, much to Jaken's annoyance.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl, who stood with a smile on her face, waiting for him to do something. "Let's go," he said. He began walking, with Rin leading the dragon on one side, and Jaken walking on the other. Later in the day she gave the reins back to Jaken, wanting to pick some berries from the bushes that had sprung up along the path. She would stop for a moment, pick some, and then catch up. Suddenly she came running up to him.

"Look, Sesshoumaru-sama!" She held something up for him to see. It was a coin piece, probably dropped accidentally on the old dirt path by some other humans. "Money of Rin's own!"

He said nothing, but she continued to dance around for the rest of the day, holding up the coin and looking at it. Personally, he couldn't see what was so great about the small piece of metal, never having to trade for or buy the things he wanted. He understood that humans had to barter, but why they got so excited over the prospect of having a great number of the metal things was something that he never cared to contemplate.

By sunset, they had traveled as far as Sesshoumaru cared to. The path crossed over the top of a hill, and a village could be seen below. He started to turn in the other direction, but the girl stopped him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, can Rin go spend her coin?"

Sesshoumaru still didn't understand her fascination with the coin, but it would take care of feeding her for the day. He looked back at the village. It appeared that they were having some kind of local festival, though her eyes probably couldn't make out the lanterns from this distance. There would be plenty of things for her to spend the coin on.

"As long as you buy food for yourself first. Jaken, take her a bit closer. Rin, come back when you're done. We'll be over the next hill."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama," they said in unison, one happily and the other not so happily.

Jaken came back quickly, and Rin came back long after dark. She was still eating some sort of festival cake. She had some more wrapped up in a cloth, and another container at her side, which she presented to Jaken.

"Here's the sake you wanted, Jaken-sama."

Jaken looked embarrassed as he took the container from her. He glanced at Sesshoumaru.

"Human drink, Jaken?"

"Eh, well, sake is sake, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Sesshoumaru said nothing. Jaken drank his sake, and the girl finished her cake. She was uncommonly quiet--not that that particularly bothered him, but he had expected her to come back excitedly talking about everything that she had done. But she was silent and sat mostly looking at the ground, though she kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. She also had an unusually serious look on her face, her brows drawn together in a slight frown and her mouth set in a line. He wondered what could have been so terribly thought provoking about a simple trip to a village. Suddenly, she looked at him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, what's a youkai?"

Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrows.

Jaken nearly spit out what he was drinking. "What?!"

"What's a youkai?" she persisted.

"You crazy girl! You don't even know--"

"Quiet, Jaken," Sesshoumaru said. This could be interesting. "What do you know about youkai, Rin?"

"People tell stories about them. Youkai are scary monsters that come out at night when it's dark. They kill people," she said automatically. So she did know something. "Rin's scared of youkai," she added.

"So what do you want to know?"

"Rin's not sure," she said, frowning. "The man said youkai don't...but Rin thought...then he said they are...."

"Youkai are...?"

"Is Sesshoumaru-sama a youkai?" she finally blurted out.

Sesshoumaru looked at her, a part of him barely believing what he was hearing. She honestly didn't know. "I am."

"But Sesshoumaru-sama is nice to Rin. Youkai aren't nice."

"Sesshoumaru-sama is one of the most--"

"I said quiet, Jaken," Sesshoumaru said sharply. He wanted to see how this played out.

"Youkai aren't nice," she repeated. She was right, youkai weren't nice; actually, he wasn't that nice.

"No," he agreed.

"How can Sesshoumaru-sama be a youkai? Youkai are supposed to be mean and scary," she added in a confused voice.

"Youkai do whatever they want to."

"Then are there good youkai and bad youkai?"

"No. Sometimes youkai do things that are 'good,' and sometimes things that are 'bad.' Though they don't think about it the way that humans do."

"Sesshoumaru-sama is good to Rin."

"I suppose," he said blankly.

"Does Sesshoumaru-sama do bad things, too?"

"I suppose."

"Then Sesshoumaru-sama isn't nice to everyone?"

"No."

"Does Sesshoumaru-sama kill people, too?" she asked in a small voice.

"Sometimes." He wasn't going to lie to her.

She was quiet again, and then spoke. "Is that why Sesshoumaru-sama looks different?" she suddenly asked.

"It is."

"But youkai are supposed to be scary looking."

"Some youkai can look like what they want," he said.

"What _is_ a youkai?"

Sesshoumaru paused. It was not as easy to explain as one might think. "Youkai are beings that are stronger, faster, and more powerful than humans, and can do things humans can't. There are also many different kinds of youkai. Humans would do best to stay away from youkai, because youkai generally don't care what happens to them. Youkai are also better than humans," he added as an afterthought.

"Are Jaken-sama and Ah and Un youkai, too?"

"They are."

"Were the scary dog man and things in the woods youkai?"

"They were."

"Those youkai wanted to eat Rin?"

"They did."

"Why?"

"I have no idea. Some youkai just do," he answered truthfully. Consuming humans was something that he had never been able to understand. While Sesshoumaru might take the occasional pleasure in killing those that trifled with him, the thought of actually eating one had always revolted him. The lower creatures were disgusting and annoying, and it was too far beneath him to even possibly consider. Besides, eating in any way, shape, or form was bothersome and a waste of time.

"Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't want to eat Rin," she said.

He noticed that it wasn't a question, but more like her vocalizing her thoughts to solve a problem. He answered anyway. "No."

"And Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't want to kill Rin."

He paused. No, he didn't want to kill her. "No."

She frowned. "Then why should Rin be afraid of Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Should you?"

"The man said so. Because Sesshoumaru-sama is a youkai."

"Most humans are afraid of youkai. Are you?"

"Yes." Then she thought for a moment. "Scary ones. But not Sesshoumaru-sama--or Jaken-sama and Ah and Un. Sesshoumaru-sama was nice to Rin. Rin doesn't like mean and scary people, either," she added.

"I see. You may speak now, Jaken."

Jaken, apparently having nothing else to say, muttered something about sleep and walked off. Sesshoumaru watched Rin, who, apparently satisfied by (or contemplating) her answers, had fallen silent again and was poking at the ground with a stick. _That_ had certainly been an interesting exchange. The girl was supposedly afraid of youkai, even though she really had no idea what they were, beyond what was told in stories. Then she had blindly followed one of the most dangerous and unsafe ones in existence. And he had let her. The whole thing was beyond amusing--ironic really.

At first, he had even questioned the fact if she knew that he was a youkai, but had quickly abandoned that idea. It had seemed impossible to him that she wouldn't have instantly recognized him for what he was. But it had never occurred to her that he was a youkai, because he wasn't "scary." The "scary dog man" was how she had referred to Mazou. Sesshoumaru wondered if she would apply the label "scary dog man" to himself. He supposed that he didn't look particularly scary at the moment, though it was all a matter of opinion. He briefly wondered what she would do if she saw his other form. Apparently the only things that were youkai through the eyes of the child were things that were totally beyond her experience. Right now he did look human enough, except for the few things that she had already noticed. It seems that she found him different, but not different enough to consider him something else. And even adults had mistaken him for human before, until they realized their error. But by then it was usually too late.

She hadn't realized that he wasn't human until someone in the village that day had obviously told her. It made sense now that she had been unafraid in the beginning. He seemed no more of a threat than anyone else she encountered. But she was still unafraid. Even though she knew for certain what he was, she still didn't fear him. All because he had been "nice" to her, which he supposed he had. For him, 'nice' was basically not killing something on the spot. Regarding his current situation with the girl, he was being phenomenally nice, now that he thought about it. Still, nice or not, it should have bothered her on some level--any level--that he was a youkai. Didn't it worry her that he was one of the monsters that she had heard stories about? One of the things that she claimed to be afraid of? Besides the fact that she had seemed surprised (and slightly confused) by the information, she seemed not to care.

He had watched her face carefully throughout the conversation, and not once did the look of frightened realization come over it. He knew that look well--the look that humans (and occasionally other youkai) got on their faces when they realized just exactly what was looking back at them. He had expected some sort of a reaction from her when he had answered her questions, but she had just accepted it. Even now she apparently trusted that he wouldn't do anything to her. What surprised Sesshoumaru more was the realization that he didn't want to, and probably wouldn't.

Suddenly, Rin wordlessly moved, and came over to lie beside him. She moved her hand through the grass to reach for his, and rested hers on the top of it. He was somewhat surprised that she did so, despite her almost nonexistent reaction to what he had said. He looked down at her, but she only closed her eyes and went to sleep. He thought back to the other nights, when he had wondered how she could sleep next to a youkai. Now he knew that she hadn't thought herself sleeping next to a youkai, but simply him. Though she slept just as contently now, even after what she had just heard. He realized that she was latched on to him, not caring whether he was human or youkai, simply because he was the first person that had been (though unintentionally on his part) nice to her. Sesshoumaru looked at her sleeping form.

What was he going to do with her? He had said before that she was his, but that didn't necessarily mean as it sounded. She was his to do with what he wanted, for however long he wanted, until he no longer cared or found her of use. His, as was Jaken. However, Jaken remained useful, and she had never been useful. She was curious and interesting, nothing more. He had already found out why she was following him, and the rest of that little curiosity had been solved tonight. There was no value left in her except possibly amusement. There was no real reason that she should stay.

But what _was_ he going to do with her? Leave her somewhere? Keep her? Kill her? Leaving this one somewhere would really have the same outcome as the last option, he decided. Even left in another village, she was probably as good as dead. And he didn't particularly need a tag along girl for any extended amount of time. But despite his dislike of humans, Sesshoumaru couldn't bring himself to kill this one that had really done nothing to him, that was so completely defenseless against him. This one that had actually tried to help him, that he had brought back to life, that had been following him for the past week. This one that even now slept fearlessly next to him.

Having no other options that he felt satisfied with, Sesshoumaru settled on keeping her again, at least until one of them grew completely bored with the other. He had planned to keep her for a while ever since the third night, but now he knew that she would stay for an amount of time far beyond what he had originally intended.


	16. The Accepting: Day 7, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I would never use a shock collar on him.

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Sesshoumaru-sama woke her up that day. He said that they were leaving. She got up, suddenly wide awake and ready to go. The sun was just coming up over the hills and the day was still early. Rin looked around, and saw Jaken-sama standing in front of Ah and Un. He was pulling at the reins with all his might, but Ah and Un still wouldn't move. She wanted to help Jaken-sama, so she ran over.

"Jaken-sama? Let Rin try."

Jaken-sama didn't seem to want her help, but he stepped aside anyway. Rin tugged at the reins. "Ah, Un, let's go."

Ah and Un stood up and obediently followed her as she walked beside Sesshoumaru-sama. Jaken-sama walked on the other side of Sesshoumaru-sama. Rin wondered why Jaken-sama seemed so annoyed. She had gotten Ah and Un to come for him. Maybe he was mad that she got to lead Ah and Un. Maybe he thought that An and Un liked her better. Rin didn't want Jaken-sama to be upset, but she wanted to walk with Ah and Un. She handed Jaken-sama the reins back later anyway, when she wanted to pick some berries. He didn't say anything or change is scowling face when he took them from her, so she wasn't sure what Jaken-sama was mad about. Maybe he was just grumpy all the time.

She stopped for a moment to kneel and gather some berries that had fallen on the ground when something in the dirt caught her eye. Something sort of shiny. It was a coin, half buried in the dried mud beside the path. Rin picked it up as well. She looked at it, mesmerized. She had never had a coin before. She had only seen them, and had rarely been allowed to even hold them. Other people had coins, but never her. She ran to show Sesshoumaru-sama what she had found.

"Look, Sesshoumaru-sama! Money of Rin's own!"

He said nothing, but Rin didn't care. She quickly ate the rest of the berries that she had found, and looked at the coin more. She rubbed at it to make it clean, and held it up to the light. Having a coin meant that you could buy things, not just beg for them or steal them. She could actually buy something--something of her own. Well, not here she couldn't. Not on a path in the wilderness. She would have to wait until they were somewhere else. Rin wondered how long that would be. Sesshoumaru-sama didn't seem to like to go into villages or towns much, and only traveled across the lands.

But the path that they were on came near a village by the end of the day. Sesshoumaru-sama started to walk in the other direction, but she stopped him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, can Rin go spend her coin?"

"As long as you buy food for yourself first," he finally said. "Jaken, take her closer. Rin, come back when you're done. We'll be over the next hill."

Rin smiled and happily walked alongside Jaken-sama as they went partway down the hill to the village. She tried not to laugh, but Jaken-sama was having a hard time since the grasses were almost taller than he was. As they neared, she saw pretty lanterns hanging among the buildings. They must be having a festival. The other village had had festivals, too, but Rin was seldom welcome or invited to participate. She mostly just sat and watched, as the other children and villagers had fun. But no one would know her here, and she had her coin to spend. She suddenly felt even happier.

"Look Jaken-sama, they're having a party!"

"Eh? Some sort of festival?" He suddenly looked at the village, as if he hadn't been paying attention before. "So they are. Say Rin," he said, suddenly producing a coin similar to hers out of his clothing, "could you get me some of the special sake?"

Rin took the coin, happy to do something that he asked. "Why doesn't Jaken-sama come with Rin?" she asked. Jaken-sama looked like he really wanted to come.

"Because!" he said, as if the answer was obvious. "Just do it?"

"Sure, Jaken-sama. You're not still mad at Rin, right?"

"For what, girl?"

"For taking Ah and Un away?"

"What?" He looked confused. "No."

"And you like Rin, right? If Rin gets you the sake?" she asked.

"Yes, fine, fine. Just come back when you're done," Jaken-sama mumbled as he began to walk back up the hill. "You can find your own way from here."

"Yes, Jaken-sama!" she called after him.

Rin easily made her way to the village. She waved to an old man that sat it its edge as she passed, and she was soon among the houses. There were already many people in the streets, and many things to do. No one recognized or knew Rin, and many just assumed that she was another (perhaps well-to-do) child when they saw her clothes. An additional child of a rich family visiting the local lord, or maybe someone whose mother simply saved to make her one nice gown. Rin ran around the festival, happy that no one told her to go away. She played games with other children, watched other people dance and play, and ate lots of food, some of which was free.

She remembered Sesshoumaru-sama's words, though, and bought herself some to take back. Then she spent the other half of her coin on a small wooden comb for her hair. She wanted to keep it nice and pretty, like it had been after the lady had washed it. Before she left, Rin even managed to get a man to give her the sake that Jaken-sama wanted. The festival was still going on, and Rin knew that it would continue into the night. But she had had fun and seen everything that there was to see, so she left to go find Sesshoumaru-sama. Turning her back on the village, she walked away into the night.

"Where you goin', girl?" a man's voice suddenly came out of the darkness.

Rin turned around. It was the old man that had been at the edge of the village that evening. He was still there, apparently, sitting and keeping guard.

"Oh, it's you," the man said when he saw her face. "You're the one that came in earlier. I thought maybe one of our kids was sneakin' out. None of my business, but where you gettin' to so late?"

"Rin's going to meet Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, not seeing a reason not to answer him.

"Sesshoumaru, eh? You know, I wondered, I did, why a nice girl like you would be goin' around with a youkai. You look normal enough. I was a bit worried at first, but you didn't do nothin'. Just a human girl."

Rin was confused as to what the man was talking about. "Rin's human," she said a bit uncertainly.

"So why you travelin' around with a youkai?"

"Youkai?" She wasn't traveling with a youkai.

"That tall white figure on the hill. I saw him just for a second, I did, before he went away and you came along."

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"So that is the youkai's name, eh?" he said. "I thought maybe Sesshoumaru was someone besides the youkai that you were with."

"Why does Sesshoumaru-sama look like a youkai?"

"I can spot 'em a mile away, I can. They just look different."

"You look different from Rin," Rin said. The man did look different--he had long gray hair, and a scar across his face that ran under an eye patch.

"Not different like this!" the old man exclaimed, pointing to his face. "Scary different!"

"Sesshoumaru-sama's not a youkai," Rin said. The words came out a lot less certain than she had intended.

"Oh, so he didn't even tell you, did he? And a baby like you really wouldn't know the difference, eh? You really should stay here, girl."

"Why?" Rin was becoming more confused and upset by the minute.

"Well, I myself can't think of any reasons 'cept bad ones that a youkai would need a little girl for. He's probably lyin' to you for some reason or another. Youkai don't keep humans around very long--kill 'em or eat 'em, they do."

"Sesshoumaru-sama isn't a youkai! Sesshoumaru-sama is nice!"

"Nice! Stupid girl! Youkai don't go around bein' nice! Youkai are mean, tricky, merciless creatures that would kill you as soon a look at you."

"Rin knows that! That's why Sesshoumaru-sama isn't a youkai!"

Rin had had enough of the man's talk. She suddenly turned and ran away from the village. She heard the man's voice come through the dark after her.

"Fine! Run away! But I'd run in the other direction as that youkai if I was you!"

After the man's shape disappeared into the dark and all that could be seen from the village were the small balls of light that were the lanterns, Rin stopped. She pushed his words out of her head, and ate some cake that she had bought to make herself feel better. She hurried over the hills in the dark night, making for the one that Sesshoumaru-sama had pointed to earlier in the day. She didn't want to get caught by any youkai. Youkai. Could Sesshoumaru-sama really be...? Rin once again pushed the thought out of her head. She soon spotted him in the dark next to several trees, sitting with Jaken-sama and Ah and Un. She gave Jaken-sama his sake, and sat down across from Sesshoumaru-sama, not even thinking to watch Jaken-sama's response. As she finished what she was eating, what the man said came back to her. This time she couldn't get it out of her head. She glanced at Sesshoumaru-sama out of the corner of her eye.

He couldn't be a youkai. He wasn't like what people said youkai were. Youkai were big and scary monsters with fangs and claws. He wasn't like that, though his nails did seem a bit like claws now that she thought about it. Rin stared back at the ground. A youkai wouldn't be nice to her; if he were a youkai he would have killed her by now, wouldn't he? So he couldn't be one. But it would explain some of the other things that she had wondered about. She had just assumed that he was different--in appearance, in actions, in...everything, she realized. She glanced at him again. He was unlike anyone she had ever met, in so many ways. But he wasn't scary like youkai were. Rin looked at him again. She decided to simply ask him if he was a youkai, sure that the answer would be 'no.' But when she opened her mouth, a slightly different question came out first.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, what's a youkai?" Both he and Jaken-sama seemed surprised by her question, so she repeated it. Then Sesshoumaru-sama asked her what she knew about youkai.

"People tell stories about them. Youkai are scary monsters that come out at night when it's dark," she said. "They kill people. Rin's scared of youkai."

"So what do you want to know?"

Rin paused. She wasn't sure what she wanted to know. She knew what youkai were, she thought, or maybe she didn't. Sesshoumaru-sama acted as if what she had just said about youkai was correct. So that's what youkai were, or were they? She started to say something several times, but it kept getting mixed up.

"Is Sesshoumaru-sama a youkai?" she finally asked, wondering if he would really answer her question if he was.

"I am." He did answer, and he didn't deny it.

What the old man had said was true. But Rin wasn't suddenly afraid. If he really was a youkai, and had wanted to hurt her, he would have done so by now. Instead, she was confused. If Sesshoumaru-sama was a youkai, maybe she was off on what youkai were. He was nice, something that didn't come to mind when she thought of youkai.

She told him so, and he agreed that youkai weren't nice, which confused her more.

"How can Sesshoumaru-sama be a youkai?" she asked. "Youkai are supposed to be mean and scary."

"Youkai do whatever they want to."

Maybe some youkai were good and some were bad then, just like people. Maybe Sesshoumaru-sama was a good youkai. There were some people that weren't good, maybe there were some youkai that weren't bad.

She asked him about good youkai and bad youkai, but he said that there wasn't a difference, and that all youkai probably did good and bad things.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is good to Rin," she said.

"I suppose," he said, not looking in her direction.

"Does Sesshoumaru-sama do bad things, too?"

"I suppose."

Of course. That's what youkai did, bad things. Still, he hadn't done anything bad to her.

"Then Sesshoumaru-sama isn't nice to everyone?" she asked.

His eyes rested on her once more. "No."

She wondered why he was nice to her, then. He said that youkai did whatever they wanted. Was there a reason that he wanted to be nice to her? But there was another question in her mind, one that had to be asked, though she wasn't sure that she wanted to ask it, or hear the answer.

"Does Sesshoumaru-sama kill people, too?"

He stared back at her, and answered without shifting his gaze. "Sometimes," he said flatly.

She looked at the ground. He did kill people, just like other youkai. Not sure what else to say, she switched subjects. She asked him if he looked different because he was a youkai, and he said that he did, even saying that some youkai could look like what they wanted. She asked him more about youkai, and he answered her. Jaken-sama and Ah and Un turned out to be youkai, too. Rin had suspected that Ah and Un were, but she wasn't afraid of them since they listened to Sesshoumaru-sama. She hadn't known what Jaken-sama was, as he seemed too small to be a youkai. But apparently there were also small youkai.

The other things that Rin had thought might be youkai were as well. The things in the woods and the scary dog man were like the youkai that she had heard stories about. Regardless of what Sesshoumaru-sama said about there not being good and bad youkai, Rin thought that those were definitely bad youkai. They wanted to kill her and eat her, and they were scary.

There was a small silence then. So Sesshoumaru-sama was a youkai. But he wasn't like the other youkai that she had seen.

"Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't want to eat Rin," she said.

"No."

"And Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't want to kill Rin."

"No."

"Then why should Rin be afraid of Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked.

"Should you?"

"The man said so. Because Sesshoumaru-sama is a youkai."

"Most humans are afraid of youkai. Are you?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. But did that mean that she was afraid of him as well? "Scary ones," she added. "But not Sesshoumaru-sama--or Jaken-sama and Ah and Un. Sesshoumaru-sama was nice to Rin. Rin doesn't like mean and scary people, either."

"I see," he said. Then Sesshoumaru-sama told Jaken-sama that he could speak again. Jaken-sama had been listening, and had tried to say something twice, but Sesshoumaru-sama had cut him off. However, it seemed that Jaken-sama didn't have anything left to say, and he walked away to go to sleep.

Sesshoumaru-sama said nothing else and Rin asked nothing else. She looked at the ground again, and absently drew pictures in the dirt with a stick as she thought. So he was a youkai. She wasn't as confused anymore, but she felt almost deceived, a little betrayed, even. She wasn't sure what to do anymore. The person that she had attached herself to wasn't who she thought he was. Sesshoumaru-sama wasn't even a person, he was a youkai. Though he had never told her or pretended that he was human. In fact, he had even seemed surprised about what she had asked. Had he assumed that she'd known? She decided that he must have. That was why he kept asking her why she followed, as if there was something off about her doing so.

Rin supposed that she should have seen it. She should have seen it every time that she looked at him. But when she first saw him in the woods, she didn't see a youkai. All she saw was a person who was hurt, someone she could help. Later she didn't see a youkai, but the person that had been nice to her. Then she saw the person who had gotten her food and clothes, and had protected her from scary things. She sometimes found things odd, but she didn't question them. Tonight, a lot of things that Rin had wondered about had suddenly become crystal clear.

But he was a youkai--one of the things that she had always, always been taught to be afraid of. Even the people in the village who didn't like Rin told her to run if she ever saw a youkai. Sesshoumaru-sama was a youkai, but she found that she still wasn't afraid of him. Everything she remembered suddenly told her that she should be afraid, though, very afraid. The few people that they had met had all had the same reaction when they saw him. Even other youkai that they had seen had been afraid of him. Very scary youkai were afraid of him, even though he hadn't been scary. She briefly wondered if he could be. Other youkai wouldn't be afraid of him without good reason. Rin knew that she should be scared of him as well, but she just couldn't be.

He had never done anything to her, and she hadn't seen him do anything to anyone else. Though that didn't mean that he didn't. He admitted that he killed people--answering her question without even thinking about it. He said it simply and naturally, without it even bothering him. That was what youkai did--kill people. Everyone knew that. Youkai killed people, which was why people should stay away from youkai. But people killed people, too, she realized. It was people that killed her family, not youkai. And while youkai might kill people, she still had no reason to be afraid of this particular youkai.

He hadn't tried to kill her. People had threatened to kill her a lot in the village, she realized. Villagers told stories about evil youkai, when they weren't that nice themselves. They were just as mean as any youkai when they wanted to be. Rin suddenly remembered one time in particular when she had been caught taking rice out of a hut. One of the woman's older sons had hit her so hard that she thought that he was going to kill her. People had never been nice to her; a youkai had. But youkai were youkai. Weren't they?

Rin realized that she was tired, so she moved over to Sesshoumaru-sama's side and lay down without thinking about it. She started to reach for his hand, but stopped when she saw it. Rin looked at it, as if really seeing it for the first time. There were the marks and the claws on his hand--a youkai's hand. She suddenly wondered if she would have come this close if she had known in the beginning. Would she have followed after him? Should she even now? She still wasn't afraid, but something just seemed wrong about going with a youkai. It was all so confusing. Was he Sesshoumaru-sama, or was he the youkai that everyone feared?

She looked at his hand a moment more, before she finally took it, making up her mind. Sesshoumaru-sama was Sesshoumaru-sama, the one that had been nice to her, and she would stay with him. Nothing else mattered.


	17. The Accepting: Day 8, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd make sure he had plenty of Ramen.

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Early before the dawn, Sesshoumaru was standing a slight distance away from his sleeping companions. The night was quiet and still, boring almost, making his mind turn to itself for entertainment. He wondered how long it would take to reach the southern forests, and if this Kaijinbou would be as hard to persuade to make a sword as Toutousai had been. It seemed to Sesshoumaru that he was doomed never to have a useful weapon.

A slight gust of wind suddenly brought a new scent drifting to Sesshoumaru. New to the vicinity, at least, but annoyingly familiar to him. Inuyasha was in the area. He didn't particularly care to see Inuyasha at the moment, but it didn't really matter, as Inuyasha was quite far off. Probably too far for Inuyasha to smell him, at any rate. The hanyou's sense of smell was good, of course, but still not a match for his own. Not only were Sesshoumaru's senses much better than a human's, but they were much better than a dog's, or those of any other animal. Youkai were superior to everything else.

At any rate, he didn't care what Inuyasha was doing, and it was unlikely that they would encounter each other. It was doubtful that Inuyasha would seek him out, and he had no plans of going in the hanyou's direction. He had no reason, as well as more pressing matters that needed attending to.

Sesshoumaru waited until shortly after daylight to wake Jaken and Rin up. He jabbed Jaken several times with his foot, and then knelt to shake Rin. She woke up immediately, eyes flying open worriedly as she swiftly sat up. "Rin's sorry! Rin's leaving!" she blurted out, before her eyes caught sight of him. Then she looked around, as if suddenly noticing her surroundings. After that, her eyes grew bright and a huge smile appeared on her face. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"What?" he asked, not sure if she wanted to say something, or if she was simply saying good morning.

She grinned again. "Rin's happy!"

Then she got up, and ran to where "Ahun" was standing. He wondered at her odd behavior for a moment, before he finally decided that she must have been having one of those human dreams. Well, dreams weren't limited to humans, he corrected himself, but youkai didn't get them as much because they slept less often. But whatever she had been dreaming about, it had disappeared the moment that she had laid eyes on him. Seeing a youkai leaning over you first thing in the morning should not be a comforting thing, he thought. But to her, it was. All traces of whatever she had been dreaming about had instantly vanished when she saw him.

Anyway, it didn't matter. He had stopped pondering about her, as there was seemingly nothing left to ponder. She had freely gone with a youkai in the beginning because she had had no idea. Now she knew everything, but still looked at him as if he were her entire world. Sesshoumaru had never meant to acquire something like her, it had just sort of happened. All because he had been curious. He had been distantly interested in her at first, but now he was getting used to her constant presence. It was not supposed to be like this in the beginning, but now it seemed almost natural to have her around. Sesshoumaru wondered at exactly what point he had lost control of the situation.

He walked over to where she was standing by the dragon, and noticed Jaken's absence. Then he saw that Jaken was still where he had seen him last, lying in some tall grasses--asleep. Sesshoumaru frowned. Jaken should have awakened immediately.

"Jaken." he said loudly.

He got no response. He started to walk in Jaken's direction, but Rin spoke first.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

He turned his attention to her for the moment; perhaps he would make Jaken pay for the delay later. If he wasn't still asleep, they could at least be walking while she talked. She had now crawled up on top of the dragon, and was eating the rest of whatever she had gotten at the village. In between bites, she began talking about what he had expected the night before--everything that she had seen and done at the festival. She actually talked for a much shorter time about it than he thought that she would. But that was good, at least she didn't ramble on and on. She abruptly stopped, apparently finished. Then her face lit up as she remembered something else.

"And look what else Rin got with her coin!" she exclaimed happily, pulling a small comb out of her clothes. "Now Rin's hair will stay nice! Rin bought food and a comb of her own with the coin! And Jaken-sama's sake with his coin, too. Now maybe he'll like Rin more!" Then she began to comb her hair.

Suddenly it dawned on Sesshoumaru. Jaken was asleep because he was still under the influence of that human drink. What a pathetic youkai--he should have been able to handle it. Sesshoumaru walked back to where Jaken was lying on the ground.

"Jaken!"

Jaken didn't move. This was getting annoying. He picked Jaken up. Then Sesshoumaru raised his arm out straight before him, still dangling a sleeping Jaken from it. He released his grasp, and let Jaken fall unceremoniously to the ground.

Jaken jumped up, tottering a bit. "Who...what, what? Oh! Sesshoumaru-sama!" he said, looking up.

Acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Sesshoumaru turned and walked away. "We're leaving." He heard Jaken fall down again behind him, before he was quickly following.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Can Rin ride on Ah and Un, or does Rin have to walk?"

"Ride if you want," he said as he walked past her, pulling the reins after him. Her small weight wouldn't be a bother to the dragon in the least.

"Hurry up, Jaken-sama!" Rin called loudly to Jaken, who was still behind.

"Can't you be quieter?" Jaken mumbled as he moved to catch up.

They walked through the grasslands in silence, except for Rin's intermittent humming, until Jaken finally spoke in the afternoon.

"You that think this sword maker can really make the sword that you desire, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Possibly."

"Why not try to get Tetsusaiga again, Sesshoumaru-sama? It is surely a superior sword."

"Fool. What use do I have for a sword that I cannot hold?"

"But you could hold it, with that human arm," Jaken said. "Perhaps we could get another shard of that jewel."

"I do not care to become involved in the whole Shikon affair. And wearing a human arm is degrading."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Then Rin spoke up, and asked him about his arm, before she announced that she was hungry. Upon questioning her, he discovered that she could find food on her own, if given the opportunity and land with sufficient resources. Sesshoumaru had suspected as much, since she seemed to be more or less taking care of herself before she went with him.

They stopped at a stream, at which point she got a drink, and then ran off among the trees lining its banks to find something to eat. She came back quickly, with a few mushrooms in her hands. Sesshoumaru appraised her skeptically. He wasn't around humans that much, and had never paid great attention to their eating habits when he was. He wondered if several mushrooms were all that she needed to fill her up.

"Rin found mushrooms," she announced sullenly, her voice sounding as if there was something else that she wanted to say.

"And?" Sesshoumaru prompted, not completely sure why he wanted to know.

She looked up at him with sulky eyes. "And Rin found a tree with really good fruit on it. But there aren't any branches to climb, and what's on the ground is bad. Stupid tree!"

She obviously saw nothing to do about, but wanted to tell her problems to someone. After she had done so, she walked back over to the stream to get another drink, and ate her mushrooms. She tried to talk to Jaken, but he was sitting on the back of the dragon and told her to go away. Finally, she ended up back in front of him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"What?"

"Rin's still hungry," she said somewhat apologetically.

Apparently the mushrooms weren't enough. He wasn't sure if she just wanted to tell him, or if she expected that he could do something about it. He could, though, and he had made the effort to get her food before, so why not now?

"Where's this tree?" he asked.

"The fruit's too high," she said.

But she led him the short distance without question, stopping and pointing at a tree. It was tall, its branches probably fifteen feet in the air. Yellow fruit could be seen dangling among the leaves.

Sesshoumaru wordlessly jumped up, hit a large branch forcefully, and landed as the fruit fell like rain around him. She squealed and ran over, picking up as much of the fruit as she could carry.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Then she paused. "Sesshoumaru-sama can jump higher than Rin. How come?"

"Youkai."

"Oh," she said slowly, as if that one word explained everything, which he supposed that it more or less did.

They went back to where Jaken and the dragon were, and were soon on the move again, walking until he deemed it time to stop. All things considered, Sesshoumaru thought that they were making good time. They were at the very edge of the southern forests now, and would probably walk along the tree line much of the next day. An unexpected wind suddenly blew over the meadow, once more distantly reminding him of Inuaysha's presence.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, Rin is cold."

He looked at her. The night was colder than others, he supposed, but he hadn't really been paying attention. Temperature didn't affect him much. But humans were susceptible to it--just as they were to everything else, he remembered. It was amazing that they managed to survive at all.

"Get some firewood, then," he finally said.

"But...Rin can't..." she trailed off.

"Can you not see?" he asked.

"No."

He would have thought that there was enough light; she had been walking not too long ago. But walking and looking for something on the ground was different, he supposed.

"Jaken, get some firewood."

"Me, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"She can't see. Are you suggesting that I do it?"

"Of c-course not, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

With that, Jaken walked off, returning a few moments later with a small armful of sticks, which he dumped in front of Rin. Seeing that it wasn't going to be enough, he went off again without being told to, and brought back some more. Sesshoumaru looked at Rin, who had already started sorting the sticks out by size, and was now arranging them into a small pile. He was slightly surprised that she knew how to do this. She added the rest of the sticks to the pile, and then looked at Jaken.

"Rin's not good at lighting fires," she said. "Does Jaken-sama know how?"

"I have this," Jaken said importantly, holding up the Nintoujou and pointing it at the sticks. One small stream of flame erupted from the staff, instantly lighting the fire ablaze.

"Wow, Jaken-sama!" she exclaimed, before settling down in front of the flames. Jaken's ego was obviously somewhat boosted from the small praise, but when she said no more, he went off to go to sleep.

Sesshoumaru watched Rin, who sat by the fire. He didn't like fire, personally--he didn't have a use for its light or warmth. And it was too obvious, like broadcasting his presence over the entire area. Though he realized that his presence alone was enough to broadcast his presence to any youkai, and that the only thing that a fire might bring would be humans. Still, he preferred the darkness.

Obviously warm enough, Rin suddenly moved over to his side, and was asleep in no time. He knew that she wouldn't know any different, so he got up and wandered the area a bit, but felt oddly uneasy about doing so. This place wasn't completely devoid of youki, as the last few places that they had rested at night had been. He hadn't had a problem leaving the small camp where had they slept then. He had never had problems before, even in places where the youki was abundant. If Jaken got eaten, then Jaken got eaten. If his youkai senses weren't enough to warn him of approaching danger, then that was that. It wasn't Sesshoumaru's job to keep watch while Jaken slept. So what was bothering him?

Rin, the answer came. She didn't have youkai senses. She was oblivious to everything around her when she was asleep. Sesshoumaru turned and slowly made his way back to the distant fire, absently picking up two large sticks as he did so. He then sat down next to the sleeping girl, and threw the sticks into the fire, watching them burn.

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Wow! 100 reviews! Thanks a lot everyone!


	18. The Accepting: Day 8, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd make him always wash behind his ears.

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_She was at the wagon again. There was blood. And screams. Her family hit the ground while she stood and watched as they were killed in front of her. Then she was alone._

Rin could feel someone shaking her. It was only a dream. That happened a long time ago, she was in the village now. Suddenly she worriedly sat up. No one would bother to wake her up unless she was someplace that she shouldn't be. "Rin's sorry! Rin's leaving!" she said. Then she saw Sesshoumaru-sama. No, she wasn't in the village, either, sleeping in the back of some barn or hut. She had left that behind as well. She was lying in the grass, and the morning sky was overhead. Everything was different.

Rin smiled. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"What?"

"Rin's happy!"

When he said nothing, she got up and ran over to Ah and Un. "Ah! Un! It's morning!" Ah and Un turned at her approach. Sesshoumaru-sama walked in their general direction, and Rin suddenly remembered what had happened the day before. It abruptly struck Rin how completely non-human he looked in the morning light. She wondered why she didn't see it earlier--well, she saw it, she just didn't know what it meant then. But it didn't matter now and she didn't care. She climbed on Ah and Un's back and started to eat her leftover cake from the village.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"What?"

"Rin had fun at the festival! There were lots of people, and lots of games! Rin watched games, and played them, too. There were music and dancers, too. And there was lots of food for Rin to eat. Some of it was free, but Rin bought some with her coin, just like Sesshoumaru-sama said to." She paused. "And look what else Rin got with her coin!" she said, showing him the comb. "Now Rin's hair will stay nice! Rin bought food and a comb of her own with the coin! And Jaken-sama's sake with his coin, too. Now maybe he'll like Rin more!"

Done eating and finished with her story, Rin started to comb her hair. Sesshoumaru-sama went to wake Jaken-sama up, which was taking a long time for some reason. Sesshoumaru-sama came back over after a moment, with Jaken-sama following slightly behind.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Can Rin ride on Ah and Un, or does Rin have to walk?"

"Ride if you want."

Sesshoumaru-sama took Ah and Un's reins, since Jaken-sama was still behind. She called for him to hurry up, but he only told her to be quiet. Rin concentrated on untangling her hair, which had actually gotten quite knotted since it had been combed last. It took her a while to get it to the point where the comb would run smoothly through it. Then she just sat on Ah and Un and watched the countryside go by. It was mostly grasses, but small patches of trees could be seen dotting the landscape. She jumped off of Ah and Un several times to grab a handful of flowers, but found that pretty though they were, the flowers were not much good for making chains out of. So she stuck one in her hair, but let the rest fall back to the ground.

In the afternoon, Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama started talking about swords and arms. Rin didn't really understand what the two had to do with each other, but she took the opportunity to ask Sesshoumaru-sama something that she had been wondering.

"How did Sesshoumaru-sama lose his arm?"

"It was cut off in a fight," he said without turning around.

"Did it hurt?"

"Yes."

"A lot?"

"Not as much as if you'd lost your arm."

Rin touched her own arm. She couldn't imagine not having it. And it hurt bad enough when she got small cuts.

"Rin's hungry," she suddenly said.

He turned to look at her. "How often did you get your own food? Can you find it yourself?"

"Rin always got her own food. And Rin knows how to find it. Rin likes lots of things, like berries and roots, and fruit and mushrooms. And fish!"

Sesshoumaru-sama said nothing, but he stopped at the next stream that they crossed.

"Go find something to eat," he told her.

There weren't any fish in the stream, so Rin took a quick drink and then ran to find some other food. She quickly found some mushrooms growing around the bases of several trees, and picked them to take back with her. Then she noticed a piece of rotten fruit on the ground and she looked upward. Among the branches of the tree above her was a type of yellow fruit that she had occasionally seen in the village. People had always exclaimed excitedly when a merchant had had some of the rare fruit. She had only managed to get a piece of the fruit a few times, and she had never seen them on a tree before. Forgetting about the mushrooms, Rin set them down and ran around the tree, looking for any more of the fruit. But what had fallen had all gone bad. She futilely tried jumping and shaking the trunk before she knew that she wouldn't be able to get any. Rin looked at the tree somewhat regretfully for a moment more before she picked the mushrooms back up, and went back to where Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama were waiting.

"Rin found mushrooms," she told Sesshoumaru-sama.

"And?" he asked.

"And Rin found a tree with really good fruit on it. But there aren't any branches to climb, and what's on the ground is bad. Stupid tree!"

Then Rin went to the stream and drank some more water while she ate what she had found. She was still hungry after the mushrooms, so she got another long drink. She saw Jaken-sama sitting on Ah and Un, and went over to him.

"Hi, Jaken-sama! What's Jaken-sama doing?"

"Trying to rest. Go away."

Rin walked away, deciding not to bother him any more. Jaken-sama did look tired. Maybe she would ask him if he wanted to ride on Ah and Un when they started walking again. A sudden feeling in her stomach reminded Rin that she was still hungry. It wouldn't have troubled her before, but now that she was used to being full, it felt different. She went to where Sesshoumaru-sama was standing. She didn't want to bother him, but she was still hungry.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"What?"

"Rin's still hungry."

"Where's this tree?" he asked.

"The fruit's too high."

Rin didn't see how going back to the tree would help, but she took him there anyway, stopping just under the edge of its longest branches and pointing to the trunk. Suddenly Sesshoumaru-sama jumped far over her head, and hit one of the branches, causing lots of the fruit to fall to the ground. Rin immediately ran over, and picked up all of the fruit that she could. She looked up at him.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Then Rin thought of something. "Sesshoumaru-sama can jump higher than Rin. How come?"

"Youkai."

"Oh," she said. Rin remembered when Sesshoumaru-sama had said that youkai could do things that humans couldn't. Besides people saying that youkai were scary, they never said much about what youkai could do. Apparently they could jump higher. Rin wondered what else Sesshoumaru-sama could do that she couldn't.

When they got back to where Jaken-sama and Ah and Un were, Rin took the reins in her hand.

"Does Jaken-sama want to ride on Ah and Un?" she asked.

Jaken-sama merely nodded in response, and remained sitting on Ah and Un. Rin followed Sesshoumaru-sama, and they walked that way until they stopped at night. She marveled at how far they had come. In the short time that she had been with Sesshoumaru-sama, she had gone farther away from the village than she had ever dreamed of going. They had crossed through woods and meadows, and were at the edge of an even greater forest now. Even in the dark, she could see the black forms of trees rising up against the sky. A wind suddenly blew, causing Rin to shiver.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, Rin is cold."

"Get some firewood, then."

Rin started to move, but stopped. The night was much too dark to find sticks in. She bit her lip as she looked back at him. "But...Rin can't...."

"Can you not see?"

"No." She would just have to be a little cold tonight. It used to happen all the time.

But then Sesshoumaru-sama told Jaken-sama to go get some firewood, and he did, returning quickly with a small pile of sticks, and some more after that. Rin organized the sticks, and then began positioning them in a circular stack so that they would burn longer. She wanted to show Sesshoumaru-sama that she could do some things by herself, especially since he had made the last fire. She had watched people make fires in the village many times, and had even made a few, though she had always had trouble lighting them, no matter how well her sticks were arranged.

"Rin's not good at lighting fires," she said, once the sticks were in place. "Does Jaken-sama know how?" She would have asked Sesshoumaru-sama to do it, but Jaken-sama seemed to be feeling bad that day, and she wanted to talk to him.

"I have this," Jaken-sama said, suddenly holding up the staff that he always carried. A flame shot out of the top of it, immediately lighting the fire.

"Wow, Jaken-sama!" she said. Rin had never seen anyone light a fire like that before.

Then she sat down by the fire, as Jaken-sama and Ah and Un walked a little bit away. Sesshoumaru-sama also sat down, a short distance from her. Rin stayed by the fire until she was warm enough, and then moved next to Sesshoumaru-sama to go to sleep.


	19. The Accepting: Day 9, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I would never "osuwari" him.

SPOILERS for episodes 44 & 45.

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Inuyasha was an idiot. Well, that went without saying. But he must be being particularly stupid today, as the scent of his blood filled the night. The hanyou had undoubtedly picked a fight with something much stronger than himself and was now paying the price for it. Sesshoumaru wondered how much blood Inuyasha had lost. He probably didn't have enough left to stand properly. It might be fun to take a detour and play with him a bit, returning the favor for Tetsusaiga's blast. That is, if Sesshoumaru didn't already have more important things to do. Perhaps after he got a sword made, he could go and test it against Inuyasha.

After the first light, Sesshoumaru woke up Rin and Jaken, and soon they were walking. Meadows stretched to their left, and the forest rose up on their right. They would walk that way until Sesshoumaru found some sign that what he was looking for was near.

Rin was dancing around a short distance ahead, running in the grasses and occasionally picking one of the tall flowers that grew among them. Sesshoumaru suddenly sensed something quickly approaching out of the woods. Rin saw the snake-like youkai at almost exactly the same time, as it was headed right for her.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

But before the words were out of her mouth, Sesshoumaru had effectively ended the conflict, casually flicking his wrist and extending the energy whip, cutting the offending youkai in half. Mere feet in front of Rin. She had dropped the plants that she had had in her hands, and was now staring at the snake, which was still twitching at one end. Humans and their low tolerance for violence. It wasn't even that violent--the thing's body hadn't even sprayed blood. Besides, if it wasn't dead, she would be. Rin still remained standing where she was until they caught up to her. She looked at him but said nothing.

"You should stay closer today," he told her.

She silently nodded and jumped on to the back of the dragon, remaining there for the rest of the day. As untroublesome as that encounter had been for Sesshoumaru, it did bring up a small and annoying problem. Wherever Kainjinbou lived, it was probably not appropriate for humans in any way. He would have to find someplace suitable to leave Rin for a while.

The scent of Inuyasha's blood still filled the area, Sesshoumaru noticed. It seemed that he was heading in Inuyasha's direction whether he wanted to or not. But Inuyasha was so pathetically weak right now that there was no way that the hanyou would sense him.

At sunset they stopped. Rin had found food along the way, in what Sesshoumaru guessed would soon become routine--find food at the end of the day, and save part of it to eat the next morning.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, Rin is cold," she suddenly said.

That again. "Can you see?"

"Yes."

"Then get some firewood."

She did so, which Jaken again lit with the Nintoujou. They sat in silence, Rin sitting close to him, until she spoke.

"Why does Sesshoumaru-sama keep asking Rin that?"

"What?"

"If Rin can see?"

"Youkai can see in the dark," Sesshoumaru said. He could always see, and it was hard for him to guess at exactly what point in the twilight that human eyes failed.

"Really? Always?" she asked.

"Yes."

Suddenly seeming to remember something, she pointed to his hand.

"How did Sesshoumaru-sama do that?"

"Do what?"

"That thing to kill the thing," she said, flopping her own hand around in mimic.

"It's just something I can do."

"What else can Sesshoumaru-sama do?" Rin asked, wide eyed. Sesshoumaru looked at her. He could see at some level that such things might be fascinating to her, but he had never given much thought to his abilities. He had always had them, and took them somewhat for granted. But before he could think of an answer, she spoke again.

"Sesshoumaru-sama can jump higher than Rin."

"Yes."

"And Sesshoumaru-sama's eyes can do that thing."

"That too."

"Sesshoumaru-sama's a lot stronger than Rin?"

"Yes."

"And faster?"

"Yes."

"Are all youkai as strong as Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Absolutely not!" Jaken suddenly exclaimed. "Sesshoumaru-sama is one of the strongest youkai, if not the strongest! Other youkai are nothing to him!"

"Really?" Rin asked. "What else can Sesshoumaru-sama do?"

"Don't bother Sesshoumaru-sama with pointless questions," Jaken said, clearly getting annoyed with the conversation.

Rin dropped the subject of Sesshoumaru, either bored or satisfied, and turned to another one. "What can Jaken-sama do?"

"What?"

"Jaken-sama's a youkai, too. What can Jaken-sama do?" she repeated.

"I can do this," Jaken said, holding up the Nintoujou and shooting a large column of flame up into the sky.

"Rin's seen that. What else can Jaken-sama do?"

"I--I can...I can...it's not important what I can do! Being a youkai by itself is good enough! And I'm very useful to Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Oh," she said, sounding disappointed. "Hey, Jaken-sama, let Rin see the stick!"

"Nintoujou."

"Let Rin see the Nintoujou," she said, stretching her hand out to Jaken, but looking at him. "Please, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru nodded his head, amused at the whole thing. Jaken reluctantly turned over the staff to Rin. She held it up, looking at it. "How does it work?"

"It won't work for humans," Jaken said.

"Any ever tried, Jaken?" Sesshoumaru said. "But on the off chance that it does, make sure the fire head is pointed _away_ from her?"

Jaken nervously gulped and made sure that the Nintoujou was indeed aligned correctly.

"How does it work, Jaken-sama?"

"I don't know! Just think that you want fire to come out."

She unsuccessfully waved the staff several times and somewhat unhappily handed it back to Jaken. Then she came back over to sit down.

"Rin wishes that she could do things like Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama," she informed him.

After that it was quiet, and soon she and Jaken were both sleeping.

The drifiting night wind brought more news of Inuyasha. He was moving again, and losing more blood as he fought something else. Then for a moment, there was nothing but the scent of blood. Sesshoumaru idly wondered if this was to be the end of the hanyou. But then the smell of impending death changed into something much more odd. Youkai power, wild and untamed, was suddenly loose. Power coming from...Inuyasha? Then there was the blood smell of whatever Inuyasha had been fighting, no doubt as it was ripped limb from limb. It was soon dead, leaving nothing but the other youkai power.

There was no mistaking now that it was indeed Inuyasha, but with no trace of the usual human blood that ran in his veins. Only raw youkai power was there--a power almost like his, Sesshoumaru mused. Then, just as suddenly, it was gone, leaving only a lingering hint in the air as proof that it had ever been there. Sesshoumaru frowned. Perhaps a slight detour to see what his half brother was up to would be worth his time, after all.


	20. The Accepting: Day 9, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd give him a manicure.

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Sesshoumaru-sama woke her up again early in the morning. It seemed to Rin that he liked to walk as far as possible in one day and get started as early as possible. She wondered what the hurry was. He and Jaken-sama had talked about swords before, so Rin thought that maybe he was going to get another one, or maybe get the one that he said was broken fixed. But she didn't see what the rush was.

But she could ride on Ah and Un if she got tired, and she spent the day alternating between sitting on their back and walking. Sesshoumaru-sama seemed to be following some trail that only he knew the path of, for Rin could never see anything that told him where he were going. They stayed along the edge of the forest, never entering the trees, but with them always near. Rin stared into the woods as they went along. Parts seemed nice, like woods that she had been in before, but other parts seemed shadowed and scary.

Right now Jaken-sama was leading Ah and Un, and Sesshoumaru-sama was walking a little bit in front of him. Rin ran around, sometimes behind Sesshoumaru-sama, sometimes ahead. She picked flowers as she went along, for no other reason than that they were pretty and it gave her something to do. She looked into the woods again. It seemed that they were at one of the scarier looking sections. Out of the corner of her eye, Rin suddenly saw something move toward her. There was a thing coming from the woods. She took a step back and started to move, but it was coming at her too quickly.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Suddenly, the thing was stopped in its advance, and fell to the ground. Rin looked around just in time to see a string of light coming from Sesshoumaru-sama's outstretched hand. It retracted and disappeared with a quick movement of his wrist, almost faster than she could see. Rin suddenly realized that she had dropped her flowers, and reached to pick them up, but stopped when she saw the dead thing. She stared at it with a sort of morbid fascination, unable to look away. It had been alive, and now it was dead. Sesshoumaru-sama had killed it. She didn't really like seeing things die, because it reminded her too much of something that she had almost forgotten. But at the same time, she registered that there was a certain amount of logic to it. If he hadn't killed it, that could have been her lying there. Then Rin realized that its tail was still moving, and that there was a growing puddle underneath it. She had a sudden urge to get away from the thing. She looked up to see Sesshoumaru-sama pausing over her.

"You should stay closer today."

Rin wordlessly got on the back of Ah and Un, and sat there for the rest of the day. She thought about Sesshoumaru-sama. He didn't seem bothered by the dead thing at all. Maybe youkai didn't care about such occurrences, but Rin didn't want to be near the thing. Sesshoumaru-sama had also killed it without even moving from where he stood. It was almost as if he had extended something from his hand. Something that had easily cut the thing in half, and just as quickly vanished. Sesshoumaru-sama's words about youkai being able to do things that humans couldn't came back to her again. Rin wondered once more what else he could do. The day before, he had jumped very high to get some fruit for her. But she hadn't really seen him do anything else.

People said that youkai were scary because they could get people. People never said exactly _why_ youkai could get people, but only that they could. She thought back. Sesshoumaru-sama had said that youkai were faster and stronger than humans. That would make sense then, she supposed. She suddenly wondered if some youkai were stronger than other youkai. They had seen other youkai, and the other youkai had seemed reluctant to get near Sesshoumaru-sama, seeming very afraid of him. Well, except for the scary dog man, but he had done exactly what Sesshoumaru-sama said. Rin wondered if maybe Sesshoumaru-sama was a very powerful youkai. The villagers never talked about differences in youkai, but she thought that maybe there were some. She also began to think that maybe the villagers didn't know everything about youkai.

Rin stayed on the back of Ah and Un all day, except when she got off to get some mushrooms. She ate that and some more of the fruit, and then she combed her hair. Rin realized that she was tired of sitting, but she didn't want to get down and walk by herself again. Anyway, Sesshoumaru-sama had told her to stay closer. So she lay down and stared up at the sky as Ah and Un walked. She watched the clouds, and played the game of picking out shapes among them and making up stories about what she saw. As the clouds changed and moved, so did what Rin could find. As the day went by, there were clouds that looked like a swimming fish, a flower, a bird, and a lady wearing a heavy kimono. There was also one that looked like a dog. It reminded her a little of the scary dog, but the one in the clouds didn't seem scary. It was big and white and seemed to take up almost the whole sky overhead. She imagined that the other dog would have run away if this dog were real.

Sesshoumaru-sama stopped in the evening and found a place to rest for the night. After the sun went down, the air had turned cold, making Rin shiver. She told Sesshoumaru-sama, and he asked her if she could see.

"Yes," she said.

"Then get some firewood."

She did, and then Jaken-sama lit her pile of sticks. Rin sat next to Sesshoumaru-sama, even though he was a little bit away from the fire. She suddenly remembered that he had asked her the same question the night before, when she had said that she was cold.

"Why does Sesshoumaru-sama keep asking Rin that?"

"What?"

"If Rin can see?" she asked.

"Youkai can see in the dark."

Rin wished that she could see in the dark. Then it would never really be dark, and there wouldn't be anything to be afraid of. She had always tried to spend the nights somewhere at least inside the village, and on nights when she was forced to sleep outside of it, she slept very uneasily, or not at all. Though Rin still didn't like the dark, she was learning to get used to it, especially since Sesshoumaru-sama was always in the wilderness, no matter what time of day it was.

Then Rin remembered something else. She pointed to Sesshoumaru-sama's hand, and asked him how he did the thing earlier. He said that it was just something that he could do.

"What else can Sesshoumaru-sama do?" she asked.

He didn't seem to have an immediate answer, so she spoke again.

"Sesshoumaru-sama can jump higher than Rin."

"Yes."

"And Sesshoumaru-sama's eyes can do that thing," she said, suddenly remembering.

"That too."

"Sesshoumaru-sama's a lot stronger than Rin?"

"Yes."

"And faster?"

"Yes."

"Are all youkai as strong as Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Absolutely not!" Jaken-sama suddenly said. "Sesshoumaru-sama is one of the strongest youkai, if not the strongest! Other youkai are nothing to him!"

"Really?" she asked. So Sesshoumaru-sama was stronger than the other youkai that they had seen. And maybe stronger than lots of other youkai. No wonder he was never scared or afraid of anything--everything was scared or afraid of him. Except her. Rin thought that she was very lucky to have someone like Sesshoumaru-sama be nice to her. She asked what else Sesshoumaru-sama could do, but Jaken-sama told her to leave Sesshoumaru-sama alone. Not sure of what else to ask anyway, Rin then asked Jaken-sama what he could do. Jaken-sama showed her the fire stick again, but she told him that she'd seen that. It seemed that Jaken-sama couldn't do much. He must be one of the youkai that Sesshoumaru-sama was stronger than.

"Hey, Jaken-sama, let Rin see the stick!" she suddenly said.

"Nintoujou," Jaken-sama informed her.

"Let Rin see the Nintoujou. Please, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Jaken-sama finally handed her the staff, and she tried to make the fire come out like he had, but she couldn't. It really must only work for youkai, like he had said. She handed the staff back to Jaken-sama, and then went to sit next to Sesshoumaru-sama again.

"Rin wishes that she could do things like Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama," she said. Sesshoumaru-sama said nothing, but Rin had had a feeling that he wouldn't reply. He tended not to unless she asked a direct question.

They sat that way for a while, before she lay down and fell asleep.


	21. The Sword, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd always keep him on a leash.

SPOILERS for episodes 44 & 45.

----------

Sesshoumaru easily located the site of Inuyasha's battle. He found what he had expected, he supposed--a dead youkai. But upon closer inspection, it had a lingering smell of Tetsusaiga. A broken Tetsusaiga, interestingly enough. Perhaps the teeth of the thing that had broken Tetsusaiga might be of some use, when he finally found Kaijinbou. But still, there was no trace of what he had sensed from Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru pulled the head off of the thing, at which point Rin loudly expressed her disgust. She was going to have to get used to such things, at least a little bit. He told her to be quiet, at which point she, eager to please, immediately shut up.

Then they walked that way, until he and Jaken left her behind and departed for the wasteland swamps in the interior of the forest where it seemed the most likely to find Kaijinbou. It was difficult to make Rin understand the need for her to stay behind. Sesshoumaru wasn't fully sure that she did understand, but she stayed when he told her to.

"How stupid!" Jaken complained as they walked away. "Doesn't even realize she'd only die if she came! And annoying!" he continued. "Not obeying your orders like that! And questioning them!"

"Jaken?"

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Be quiet."

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

Sesshoumaru found Kaijinbou, who required no pressuring at all to make the sword for him. Then they left and returned to where Rin was while Kaijinbou made the sword.

When she spotted him coming over the hill, her face automatically lit up. Sesshoumaru was still amazed that his appearance could mean so much to someone. The time that passed as he waited went much as time had the last few days--she ate, she slept, she played with plants, she occasionally showed him something or asked him some question. Then he left again to get the sword, much to her disappointment. Still, she waited when he instructed her to. Presumably she was still doing so, probably remaining in almost the exact same spot that he had left her in, just as she had done when he had first entered the swamps.

The designated amount of time had almost passed, and Sesshoumaru was now lingering on the borders of the swamps, waiting for Jaken to return from fetching the sword. He wanted the sword as soon as possible, but saw no reason to bother with Kaijinbou again personally. So he had sent Jaken to Kaijinbou's hut alone, and was now awaiting his return. It seemed incredibly quiet Sesshoumaru, and he abruptly realized that he had become accustomed to Rin's constant noise. He thought it strange how fast he had gotten adjusted to something like that. Indeed, it was odd how quickly one got used to an idea. But instead of continuing down that line of thought, Sesshoumaru turned his attention to killing a large bug-like thing that had skittered up to him. Standing around the swamps would have been exceedingly boring, had they not been full of incredibly stupid youkai. Annihilating the small things that neared him at least passed the time, but even that was becoming tedious.

Sesshoumaru tried to find the sky through the mists and fogs, but it was nowhere to be seen. Still, his senses alone told him that more than the allotted amount of time had passed. That wasn't particularly a problem, but Jaken should have at least come back to inform him about it. Not seeing a reason not to, Sesshoumaru began walking back toward Kaijinbou's hut himself, though still slightly annoyed that he had to do so. He sensed no trace of Kaijinbou as he neared the hut, which he was a bit surprised at. He knew that Kaijinbou might double cross him, but Sesshoumaru hadn't expected him to simply take the sword for his own and leave. Apparently Kaijinbou was an idiot as well, though. Surely he must know that it wouldn't take Sesshoumaru long to hunt him down. But why hadn't Jaken returned?

Sesshoumaru found the answer lying on the floor of the hut, sliced cleanly in half. He frowned at that. If Kaijinbou wanted to kill servants, he could damn well get his own servants to kill. As it was, Jaken remained useful and loyal, and hadn't done anything severe enough to warrant his execution. Pulling out the Tenseiga, Sesshoumaru sliced at the things on Jaken. Then they left the swamps, found Kaijinbou (or lack thereof), got the sword, and had an encounter with Inuyasha that had been...interesting, to say the least.

As it was, there was no more point of them remaining there. Now they walked seemingly aimlessly, though Sesshoumaru already had a destination in mind. Seeing Inuyasha had confirmed his suspicions about what he had sensed earlier. The youkai blood had indeed emerged to the front and had been in control, but it had only remained for a moment before the hanyou had reverted to normal. What that meant, Sesshoumaru didn't know, but it was curious nonetheless. And it seemed to have something to do with the Tetsusaiga, which Inuyasha had obviously gotten fixed, though he didn't seem to be able to use it as well. Sesshoumaru had no use for the Tetsusaiga, especially not with Toukijin, which had proven to be a match for the other sword. Although he had spent years searching for the Tetsusaiga, it was useless to him, and he had no reason to further pursue it. Still, the Tetsusaiga was interesting, especially after recent developments.

Beside and slightly behind him, Rin was questioning Jaken about where he and Jaken had been while she waited.

"Rin wishes that she could go where Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama do," she said from the back of the dragon.

"A silly human like you would've been killed!" Jaken said, looking back to answer her. "Sesshoumaru-sama told you that! There were lots of things there, plus the fogs and vapors."

"Ooh! Was it scary and dangerous, Jaken-sama?"

"Not for youkai!" Jaken said. "Still, I wouldn't want to hang around there for very long! Lots of weirdos in that swamp. Even I nearly died! I would have, too, if it hadn't been for Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Really?" she said. "What happened, Jaken-sama?"

"Why that treacherous sword maker cut me right through! But then Sesshoumaru-sama used his sword."

"The one Sesshoumaru-sama just got?"

"No, of course not, girl. The one that doesn't kill--the one that can bring back the dead. He's used it on you, too."

"Really? When?"

"After the wolves, of course."

She was quiet for a few moments.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked in a small, uncertain voice. "Rin died?"

He looked behind him. "Yes, you did."

"The wolves really did kill Rin?"

"Yes."

"And Sesshoumaru-sama did that for Rin? Brought Rin back to life?"

He paused. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Why not?" he said distantly, turning back around to face the landscape, and with any luck ending the conversation. It seemed to have worked, as she had fallen silent.

A small part of his mind registered that she really hadn't known what had happened to her, which he had wondered about several times. But Sesshoumaru wasn't interested in talking about her resurrection. Something was still annoying him about it, and the last thing that he wanted was to discuss it, even though a disappointed look had crossed her face at his answer.

He had brought her back because he had been curious and had wanted to test the Tenseiga. That was all. No. No, it wasn't. When he had seen her in the woods, lying dead and covered in her own blood, something in him didn't quite want her to be. He had felt...almost a little sorry for her? He shouldn't have--there was no reason for him to, but he had. Perhaps it hadn't just been wanting to test the Tenseiga.

Sesshoumaru glanced behind him, and saw her still sitting on the back of the dragon, her face unreadable. It wasn't the Tenseiga that made him keep her around, or keep her alive; that much he could admit to himself.

He frowned as he remembered what had happened when he had come back to where he had left Rin. That woman of Naraku's had been there. It had irritated him that she was there--waiting, watching Rin, until he had returned. And of course, Rin had been oblivious to the whole thing, not realizing the danger of any of it. The woman hadn't done anything, but it still annoyed him. Perhaps next time he had to leave, he would make Jaken stay behind with Rin. Not that Jaken could really do much, but he could at least sense what was around.

Rin had been so happy to see him return that she had followed his first instructions to her quite literally, not moving an inch until he told her to do so again. Which would have been amusing, had Sesshoumaru not had to deal with the detachment woman, who delivered no useful information whatsoever. Sesshoumaru was becoming annoyed with this Naraku character. Twice now Naraku had tried to meddle in his affairs. It seemed that Naraku had some sort of interest in him--an interest that Naraku would regret if Sesshoumaru ever got his hands on him.

Sesshoumaru heard a sudden noise, and saw Rin jumping off of the dragon. She ran to catch up to him, and walked beside him for a moment. Then she moved ahead to face him, but didn't stop, instead walking backwards in front of him. She looked up at him, the expression on her face almost serious, save for the childlike way that her eyes still shone.

"Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't have to say why if he doesn't want to," she said, before a happy smile appeared on her face.

Sesshoumaru wasn't sure what she meant by such a statement, but it seemed to warrant no reply, and she didn't seem to want one--almost as if some strange point of understanding had been silently reached. He looked at the grinning child, her arms folded behind her as she still walked backward looking up at him, almost as if awaiting her next instructions.

"It's almost dark," he said. "You must be hungry."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama!" she exclaimed, running ahead through the grasses, laughing and twirling around in her own made up game.

Sesshoumaru watched her dancing silhouette play against the background of the sunset streaked sky. Yes, it was odd how quickly one got used to an idea.


	22. The Sword, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd never let him chase cats.

SPOILERS for episodes 44 & 45.

----------

"Where are we going, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin asked. She noticed that they had changed directions.

"To find something."

"What?"

"Something dead."

Rin wondered why he would want to find something dead, but she was silent. Later Sesshoumaru-sama stopped. "It's there," he said.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken-sama said, as he quickly took off in the direction that Sesshoumaru-sama indicated. Rin chased after Jaken-sama as well, and soon passed him, stopping when she saw something ahead of her.

"I won!" she cried.

Jaken-sama said that they weren't racing, but Rin was already looking at what she had found. There was a dead thing, just like Sesshoumaru-sama had said! She wondered how he knew where it was. Then Rin moved a little away from the thing, not especially liking the looks of it.

Then Sesshoumaru-sama came up and took the things's head, slinging it over his shoulder. Which was Rin's limit. She cried out and looked away.

"We're not taking that with us, are we, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Apparently Jaken-sama didn't like the thing, either.

"Quiet, Rin," Sesshoumaru-sama said. He didn't answer Jaken-sama.

"Yes!" Rin said, moving to follow him. She quickly caught up, but walked next to his other side, so she wouldn't have to look at the thing.

They walked for a while more, until Sesshoumaru-sama stopped and turned to face her.

"Rin, you stay here."

Rin panicked for a moment. Surely he wasn't leaving her? "Why?"

"We're going someplace unsuitable for humans."

"Rin will be good if Sesshoumaru-sama lets Rin go," she promised.

"It's better for you here," he said.

"Rin will go with Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Stay here."

"Do as Sesshoumaru-sama says!" Jaken-sama told her.

Rin looked up at Sesshoumaru-sama, who was frowning slightly. "Rin will stay here," she said quietly.

She watched as they walked and started to disappear from view. "Hurry Sesshoumaru-sama! Come back soon?" she called.

Then Rin sat down on the ground, with nothing to do but wait for Sesshoumaru-sama. He had told her to wait here, and she would wait here, not wanting to miss him when he returned. After a while she got bored and lay down on the ground. Rin wished that Sesshoumaru-sama would come back.

Whatever Sesshoumaru-sama did without her, it didn't take him long. Soon she spotted him and Jaken-sama again, slowly making their way toward her. He told her to come along, but they didn't go far. He said that he still had to go back later. Rin didn't want him to go again, but later he did, once again leaving her and telling her to wait. She did, but it seemed to take him a lot longer than last time.

Rin played with some flowers at her feet, and she noticed that she was hungry. She wondered if she should go look for something to eat, but Sesshoumaru-sama had told her to stay there, so she did. Suddenly she heard a howl in the distance, and she sat straight up, looking around. There was nothing that Rin could see, but the wolf's cry had sent a shiver down her spine. She had seen lots of scary things since then, but none scared her as much as the thought of wolves. She hadn't forgotten the time that they chased her...but there was something more, something else that she couldn't quite remember. Whatever it was, she didn't like it, and she didn't want to see any more wolves ever again. It seemed like forever until Sesshoumaru-sama appeared again. When Rin saw him coming, she jumped up.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

He suddenly paused and looked past her. "Rin. Don't move."

Rin froze as Sesshoumaru-sama jumped overhead. There was a noise like a tree falling, and then she could hear him talking with someone. Rin looked over her shoulder for an instant. There was a woman talking with Sesshoumaru-sama, but she left quickly, disappearing into the sky. The woman must be a youkai, too, Rin thought, since people couldn't fly. She wondered why the woman wanted to talk to Sesshoumaru-sama, and she wondered if she could move. The youkai lady was gone now, but Sesshoumaru-sama still hadn't spoken to her. But then he told her that she could move again, and she did, twirling around and then running over to his side. Rin didn't care if she heard the wolves again now.

Later, they left that place. Sesshoumaru-sama didn't seem to want to stay at all for some reason. As they walked, she sat on the back of Ah and Un, which Jaken-sama was leading. Sesshoumaru-sama walked ahead and Rin noticed that he had a new sword with him. He must have had it made when he had left.

Rin looked down at Jaken-sama. "Rin wishes that she could go where Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama do." Jaken-sama told her that she shouldn't be stupid, and that she would have been killed. She asked him if it was really that scary. Waiting by herself and hearing the wolves was bad enough.

"Not for youkai!" Jaken-sama said. "Still, I wouldn't want to hang around there for very long! Lots of weirdos in that swamp. Even I nearly died! I would have, too, if it hadn't been for Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Really?" Rin asked. "What happened, Jaken-sama?"

"Why that treacherous sword maker cut me right through! But then Sesshoumaru-sama used his sword."

"The one Sesshoumaru-sama just got?" she asked.

"No, of course not, girl," Jaken-sama said. "The one that doesn't kill--the one that can bring back the dead. He's used it on you, too."

"Really? When?"

"After the wolves, of course."

Rin was quiet. Jaken-sama said that Sesshoumaru-sama's other sword could bring back the dead. And he had used it on her. She had died? After the wolves? Rin suddenly thought back to how she couldn't remember what had happened after she ran from the wolves. They had been chasing her, but after that there was nothing. The next thing she could remember was Sesshoumaru-sama being there. And there was the blood on her clothes afterwards, and how much the howl in the distance had scared her earlier. It must have happened.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked. "Rin died?"

He turned to look at her. "Yes, you did."

"The wolves really did kill Rin?"

"Yes."

"And Sesshoumaru-sama did that for Rin? Brought Rin back to life?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

Rin looked down, and Sesshoumaru-sama turned back around. It had happened, then. She really had died, and Sesshoumaru-sama had brought her back. She didn't know that anyone could do things like that. Rin remembered when he had said that his sword was broken. The sword "that doesn't kill," Jaken-sama had said. Was that why he had said that it was broken and why he wanted another sword? Rin didn't really understand. But she had never dreamed that anything like that could exist, something that could stop you from dying. And Sesshoumaru-sama had saved her with it. But why? And why wouldn't he say?

She wondered why he had done it. Because she had brought him food? Because she had tried to help him? Because he had just wanted to? She had never figured out why he wanted to be nice to her, either. But if he hadn't been, she would be dead now. Rin was a bit disappointed that Sesshoumaru-sama wouldn't say why he did it, but she decided that it didn't matter.

She jumped off of Ah and Un, and went to catch up with him. He didn't look at her, so she moved in front of him but kept walking, looking up at his face. Finally, he looked down at her. No, she decided, it didn't matter why he did it, only that he had. That was enough for her, and it was so much more than anyone else had done, or ever could do.

"Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't have to say why if he doesn't want to," she said.

He stared at her for a moment, and she smiled, still walking backward to look up at him. Sesshoumaru-sama didn't respond to her statement, as she had known that he wouldn't. But she had still had to say it.

"It's almost dark," he finally said. "You must be hungry."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama!" she said, as she turned and ran ahead through the field.

She twirled around as she ran, and saw Sesshoumaru-sama watching her, as he always seemed to be. He would always be there, just behind her or just ahead of her. It was amazing how fast everything had changed for her since the village. She had never even dreamed that life could be this way. Rin decided that she would stop thinking about the village. It was past, and she was here now. Everything suddenly seemed so perfectly right to her. She hoped that she could stay with Sesshoumaru-sama forever.


	23. Land of the White Dog, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but maybe I could rent him.

Everything from here on out will be Part 2. The first part had a specific goal in mind (filling in the gap between episode 35 and 44) and more or less an overall structure, but this part will be more episodic.

----------

"_All_ this is Sesshoumaru-sama's?" Rin asked. "For how far, Jaken-sama?"

"For farther than the eye can see. It goes for miles and miles in every direction!"

"Wow, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Sesshoumaru surveyed the invisible border that marked the edge of his lands. It looked like any other meadow hilltop. Humans would be unlikely to perceive a difference, but the feel of the youki was immediately and distinctly different. The only physical hints left were the seemingly sporadically placed boulders every few hundred yards. So far apart and unnoticeable now that many would never connect that they still marked something. The leftover rocks had stood in their abandoned posts long before Sesshoumaru had been born, the remnants of a low wall erected ages ago by his father and the local humans. Now the only boulders that still sat were the ones too heavy for humans to cart away. The ancient reminder of an ancient empire. But though the wall was long deserted and unneeded, the empire still remained.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin asked.

"Let's go," he said, beginning to walk.

His lands. No, the lands were not his. They were his father's. It would be a long time still before Sesshoumaru could consider them really his. He wasn't the one who had carved them out, driven off other youkai, and made it his domain. However, he was the one who had inherited his father's blood, power, and standing. The lands _were_ his, and while he might not have the same interest in them that his father did, it was his responsibility to upkeep them. And he would not have something that his father worked most of his life for be forgotten and destroyed. It was the least that he could do to walk them every so often and make sure that they were not being overrun by other youkai. And besides it being his father's legacy, he might have an interest in the land someday, and it wouldn't do to have to reclaim it. It was much more practical and logical to simply establish his presence there every so often.

Though the fact that he also had a reputation as the ruthless taiyoukai made his work significantly easier. While his father's power had been known to be notably greater, Sesshoumaru's mechanical destruction of that which annoyed him was considerably more famous. There were no second chances with him. And though his strength was not at his father's level yet, it was nothing to scoff at. Most youkai that lived anywhere near the area were well aware of these facts, and thought it best not press their luck.

There were youkai that lived inside the lands, of course, as well as plenty of humans. Sesshoumaru didn't care, as long as they had no aspirations of trying to claim things for themselves. Which was unlikely, since most of the youkai were ones that his father had allowed to remain, or descended from them. His father had also insisted that none of the youkai within the lands attack humans. Sesshoumaru could care less about enforcing that particular decree, but it had stuck in a way, since it had been the manner of the land for centuries. Overall, the lands were safe from threats from outside or within. They were relatively safe for those that lived within as well, though that was certainly an inadvertent result of Sesshoumaru's objectives.

At least he wouldn't have to watch Rin as carefully. He looked down at her, she still sticking close to his side. During the last few days of travel that it had taken to get to this border, it seemed that a day hadn't gone by without some mindless youkai thinking that she would make a good meal. Those that approached were easily killed, but it hadn't taken her long to realize that even if they passed such things, the things wouldn't near this close to him. He had told her to stay close, but she hadn't let him get two feet away for the past day and a half, even refusing to ride on the dragon.

"Rin." She looked up. "You can run around today."

"Really, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Yes."

"There's no other youkai?"

"No."

With that, she laughed and ran on ahead.

As they got further into the lands, intermittent patches of trees began to appear. It was in one of these small groves that Sesshoumaru decided to stop for the night under, mainly because there was a large stream not too far away. He told Rin to get some fish for her dinner, knowing that she would be getting hungry, as it was just after sunset. She promptly disappeared, and while Sesshoumaru had expected her to be busy getting fish for at least an hour (as she still wasn't very good at it), she soon returned after only ten minutes. Carrying two rather large fish, nonetheless. She set them down in front of Jaken, and then ran off to get some sticks, which she arranged as Jaken prepared the fish.

"You must be getting better at fishing," Jaken commented.

"Nope, Jaken-sama. The fish gave Rin the fish."

"The fish gave you the fish?"

She nodded. "Mm-hm. 'Because of the white dog.' What's the white dog?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama is the white dog."

She looked at him. "Really, Sesshoumaru-sama? What's that mean?"

"It's just a title, Rin," Sesshoumaru said.

Apparently that satisfied her, and she went back to organizing sticks. Jaken looked like he was about to say something, but thought better of it, and once again turned his attention to the fish.

Sesshoumaru guessed at what had happened. "The fish" gave her the fish, because she was with him. She had talked to them, and they had talked back. Water sprites always did babble too much for his liking. Sesshoumaru wondered for a moment why he hadn't simply told her about "the white dog." But there was something amusing in seeing how long it would take her to figure something out. Though in this case, it would probably be never, as he had no intentions of transforming again.

The last time he had done so was probably the stupidest thing he had done in the last decade, possibly ever. He generally didn't like transforming, as it was usually a waste of energy, and brought unwanted attention to himself. But playing with Inuyasha had been too tempting. It had still been a waste of energy, but there was no one that would notice, care, or otherwise about his form while in the graveyard. It had felt good to stretch again, so to speak. And fun, too. Who would have predicted that the hanyou would have been able to use the sword like that?

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"What, Rin?"

"Where are we going now?"

"To talk to someone about a sword."

"Oh."

She then came over and sat next to him as she ate her fish, and remained there until it got dark and she began to shiver.

"Why don't you go sit by the fire?" he finally asked.

"Rin wants to sit next to Sesshoumaru-sama."

She was going to freeze because she wanted to sit next to him? Inwardly sighing, Sesshoumaru indifferently stood up and moved to sit next to the fire. Rin happily followed, plopping herself down next to him.

"Why does Sesshoumaru-sama never sit next to the fire?"

"I am sitting next to the fire."

"But not before."

"I don't need the fire. I don't get cold."

"And Sesshoumaru-sama can see in the dark!" she exclaimed.

"That too."

"Is being a youkai fun, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

It had definite advantages. Better than being human. "I suppose."

After that she said nothing, and the night was silent except for the crackling flames.

Later, Sesshoumaru felt Rin suddenly slump against his arm, and he realized that she had fallen asleep. He noticed that Jaken was also asleep, lying a short distance away. Moving Rin to lie on the ground, Sesshoumaru stood up. There were no youkai remotely near here, and she would be fine until he came back. He left, walking the land by night, going further up and in. Something always felt strangely right about being back there, in the fields and groves that he had wandered in his youth. Though he roamed far elsewhere, these lands themselves were home--another reason to take the minimal effort that was required to keep them.

Sesshoumaru returned to their camp several hours later, and was surprised to find Rin awake. She was sitting next to the glowing coals, with her arms folded around her legs and her chin on her knees. She didn't hear him approach, and only turned around as he allowed his foot to make a small sound.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" she said happily. "Where did Sesshoumaru-sama go?"

"Walking."

"Doesn't Sesshoumaru-sama sleep?"

"Not usually." He sat down, and his curiosity slowly got the better of him. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Rin had a dream. And then Sesshoumaru-sama wasn't here."

She came to sit down next to him. It was still a bit cool, Sesshoumaru noticed, but he wasn't going to go to the trouble of building another fire if she didn't request it. And right now she seemed content enough to simply sit there.

"Does Sesshoumaru-sama go walking a lot at night?" she asked.

"Sometimes." He momentarily wondered how long she had been sitting up, waiting for him to return. She didn't seem worried over the fact that he had been gone, but didn't want to go back to sleep until he came back.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she said.

"What?"

"Rin's cold. Can Rin sit next to Sesshoumaru-sama?"

She was sitting next to him. It took Sesshoumaru a moment more to realize what she meant.

"Fine."

She scooted closer and was soon asleep curled up next to him. He glanced down briefly, noticing how easily she rested. It was simpler than getting more wood for the fire, he reasoned. But having her there was also something else, something that he didn't quite know how to describe. Something that he wasn't sure he had the words to describe, and something that he wasn't sure he wanted to find the words for.

They would have been weak words. It was perhaps better not to find them.

At least for now.

----------

Thank you so much to everyone who left reviews! You have no idea (unless you also write fanfics! :) how much a review brightens up your inbox!


	24. Land of the White Dog, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, and I'm too poor to rent him. Maybe he'll come visit.

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Rin stood on top of a rock almost as tall as she was, and looked out at the land around her. They were on the top of a grassy hill, and meadows and trees were spread before her. Rin held her hand up to her eyes to block out the sun as she turned, looking.

"_All_ this is Sesshoumaru-sama's? For how far, Jaken-sama?"

"For farther than the eye can see," he answered. "It goes for miles and miles in every direction!"

"Wow, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Sesshoumaru-sama said nothing, and he seemed to be thinking about something. He was also looking at the meadows before them, though he was almost looking past them, as if he could see something that she couldn't.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked.

"Let's go," he answered.

He began to walk, and Rin jumped off of the rock to follow. Sesshoumaru-sama had told her to stay close, and she had readily agreed. There seemed to be lots of things in the places that they had been in during the last few days. She hurried to catch up to him.

"Rin," he suddenly said. "You can run around today."

"Really, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Yes."

"There's no other youkai?"

"No."

She went ahead, running through the grass, but soon returned. She went over to Jaken-sama, who was walking with Ah and Un behind Sesshoumaru-sama.

"Rin's glad there's no other youkai around. Hey, Jaken-sama, why is that?"

"Because we're in Sesshoumaru-sama's lands. They keep out because of him. Naturally there's more lower youkai hanging around the borders."

"Oh."

Jaken-sama kept talking about Sesshoumaru-sama's lands. Did youkai do that like people did? Have land? Apparently they did. Though something seemed different about it. At any rate, Sesshoumaru-sama seemed to have a lot of land. They walked all day, and Jaken-sama still said that there was more, more than she could ever see. Rin didn't intend to leave Sesshoumaru-sama, so she thought that she would see all of it eventually, but she decided not to tell Jaken-sama that.

At sunset, Sesshoumaru-sama stopped under some trees.

"Rin, there's a stream in that direction," he said, pointing slightly. "Go get some fish for your dinner."

Rin ran off, and found the stream, just like Sesshoumaru-sama had said. It was a really big stream. Parts of it looked too deep for her to even stand in without the water going over her head. She put her foot in at the edge of the bank, but pulled it out and jumped back as a big fish suddenly came partway up out of the water at her. But the fish was different. It had bigger eyes and lips, and looked...smarter.

"Human," it said.

Rin was surprised, but the fish didn't look particularly dangerous. She just nodded, but didn't move any closer to the water.

Then another fish like the first one came up to the surface. "Human wants?"

"Rin just wanted some fish."

"Let her fish?" the first one said.

"Let her fish or not?" the second echoed.

"Humans always taking."

"Humans always--the white dog."

"Here?"

"Near."

"The white dog?" Rin asked.

The fish nodded in unison.

"Land of the white dog," the first said.

"_Human_ of the white dog!"

"Is she?"

"Must be."

"Fish she can have, then."

"Give her fish."

The first fish waved its tail, and suddenly two normal fish jumped out of the water and landed on the bank beside her. "You're giving Rin fish?" she asked.

"Because of the white dog."

"Because of the white dog."

"What's the white dog?" Rin asked, but the two fish had already gone under the water. She was a bit confused, but she wasn't going to leave the two fish that were still flopping around on the ground. She picked them up, and went back to where Sesshoumaru-sama was. She gave the fish to Jaken-sama, and then went among the trees to get some wood for a fire.

"You must be getting better at fishing," Jaken-sama said when she came back.

"Nope, Jaken-sama. The fish gave Rin the fish."

"The fish gave you the fish?" He sounded doubtful.

She nodded. "Mm-hm. 'Because of the white dog.' What's the white dog?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama is the white dog."

"Really, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked. "What's that mean?"

"It's just a title, Rin," he said.

Sesshoumaru-sama turned around, and Rin arranged the sticks for the fire. It didn't surprise her that Sesshoumaru-sama had a title. Everyone always treated him like he was very important. And they were always giving him things. Well, they gave her things because she was with him. The men gave her food, the lady gave her clothes, and the fish had given her fish. And Sesshoumaru-sama also had land. Lots of it. Rin was beginning to think that maybe important youkai were treated more importantly that important humans. He also seemed always busy; he always had somewhere to go or something to do. She suddenly wondered where Sesshoumaru-sama was going now, so she asked him.

"To talk to someone about a sword," he said.

Sesshoumaru-sama did that a lot. He was very interested in swords, it seemed.

Jaken-sama finished the fish, and Rin went to sit next to Sesshoumaru-sama. She finished her dinner, and sat there as it got dark. It also got colder, but it wasn't that cold. Not really, really cold. And she was fine here.

"Why don't you go sit by the fire?" Sesshoumaru-sama asked her after she shivered a bit.

"Rin wants to sit next to Sesshoumaru-sama."

Sesshoumaru-sama then got up and sat down in front of the fire. She hadn't asked him to, but he did. Rin immediately moved as well, again sitting next to him. She had noticed before that Sesshoumaru-sama usually sat away from the fire.

"Why does Sesshoumaru-sama never sit next to the fire?"

"I am sitting next to the fire."

"But not before," she said.

"I don't need the fire. I don't get cold."

Youkai must not get cold. It would be nice not to get cold. And Rin remembered when Sesshoumaru-sama said that youkai could see in the dark.

"Is being a youkai fun, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"I suppose."

Rin wished that she could do some of the things that Sesshoumaru-sama could do, but she liked being human, she thought. Besides, it didn't matter as long as she had Sesshoumaru-sama to take care of her.

The next thing Rin knew, it was much darker, she was lying on the ground, the fire was almost out, and Sesshoumaru-sama was gone. She must have fallen asleep. She wondered why she had woken up, and remembered the vague impression of a dream that she couldn't recall. Rin sat up and looked around. She guessed that Jaken-sama was also asleep, but she couldn't see him; she thought she could see Ah and Un, but she wasn't sure. But where was Sesshoumaru-sama? She couldn't find him anywhere. So she sat by the remains of the fire, waiting. It was colder now than it had been. Rin pulled her knees close to her and sat that way, since it was too dark to look for more sticks.

The night was incredibly quiet. She sat for a very long time, it seemed, before she heard any noise at all. It was only a small sound, but it was almost loud in the night. Rin looked behind her.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" she said. "Where did Sesshoumaru-sama go?"

He came up. "Walking."

"Doesn't Sesshoumaru-sama sleep?"

"Not usually." He sat down. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Rin had a dream. And then Sesshoumaru-sama wasn't here." Rin went over to sit next to him. She guessed that maybe youkai didn't need that much sleep. Rin suddenly wondered if Sesshoumaru-sama left a lot at night. So she asked him; he said that he sometimes did. Rin wasn't sure how she felt about that, she always thought that Sesshoumaru-sama was near at night. But he always came back, so she decided that it wasn't that important.

Rin realized that she was cold. It had been cold before, but now it felt really cold. She hadn't noticed it as much before, because she had been busy wondering where Sesshoumaru-sama had gone. But suddenly she shivered.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"What?"

"Rin's cold. Can Rin sit next to Sesshoumaru-sama?"

After a moment, he gave her a barely noticeable nod. "Fine."

Rin smiled and scooted closer, lying down next to him. He was still wearing that armor, but she could get close enough to be warm.

----------

Note: As for the fish that Rin sees, think something similar to the fish that were in the Water God episode.


	25. Taking Off, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd make sure he got all his vaccinations.

SPOILERS for episodes 51 & 52.

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There was nothing out of the ordinary in his lands, which was pleasing, if just a little bit boring. Probably because he had just been there not too terribly long ago. If Sesshoumaru didn't have something else to do here, he most likely wouldn't have found reason to come back so soon. But the person he wanted to see happened to live in the oldest and centermost part of his father's lands.

They had entered the ancient forest the previous night, and were still in it this morning. Rin had marveled at it all--how tall the trees were, how wide their trunks were, how far they all went. She had probably never seen anyplace like it before. Indeed, even Sesshoumaru couldn't think of a forest anyplace else that was quite as old or deep as this one. Though he could never recall being quite as amazed as she was. At any rate, she was probably the first human in a fair amount of years to come this deep into the trees. Most humans seemed to have some sort of unnatural fear of the place, though there was really nothing in the forest. Well, a few things, and himself occasionally. But people generally didn't like being in ancient places like this one; they didn't like feeling the possibility that there was something older, smarter, and more dangerous than themselves around. It was just as well, though, as it was much more pleasant without them in it.

~

Bokusenou had had plenty to say. Sesshoumaru wasn't quite sure what to make of it yet, but it was all very interesting, at least. And it had put the prospect of the Tetsusaiga in a different light. It seemed that his father knew something about what he had been doing. Inuyasha was to have the sword's power to lean on, to keep him from falling back to his own power and going insane. Though it still didn't explain why Sesshoumaru hadn't been given equally powerful sword for his own use. He could see no logic in him getting the Tenseiga to that of Inuyasha's getting the Tetsusaiga. He suspected that his father had been trying to make a point about something, though he didn't care to think about it.

Sesshoumaru wanted to see Inuyasha transform again, though. Inuyasha had seemed almost formidable when first changed, but if it was true that he lost his mind, he was nothing. And it seemed that while Inuyasha was having problems using the Tetsusaiga, there was a better chance of Sesshoumaru seeing what he wanted to see. They needed to leave this old forest, get out of these lands, and find the hanyou.

By the first part of the afternoon, they had cleared the forest, and were in an open meadow. "Jaken."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"I want to see where Inuyasha is. Now. We're flying."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Sesshoumaru sat down on the back of the dragon, and Jaken perched himself at the base of it's neck, holding the reins in his hand. "Come on, Rin," Sesshoumaru said to Rin, who was running around behind them. She came over and climbed up in front of him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is riding on Ah and Un, too?"

He nodded. "Hold on, Rin."

Then he nodded to Jaken. With a certain tug of the reins, the dragon leapt into the air. Rin gasped. In afterthought, Sesshoumaru supposed that he should have given her more warning. But he took things for granted that she found new and amazing, and hadn't really thought to tell her.

"Wow! Ah and Un can fly!" she exclaimed after a moment. Soon she was leaning to the side, not at all troubled by the height, looking over at the land beneath them. Once she leaned almost too far, and he had to pull her back. She didn't lean out after that, but only sat and looked to either side.

"Rin's never been flying before," she informed him, halfway turning around.

Sesshoumaru just nodded, amused. She said it so simply, as if flying were something that every child expected to get to do at some point or another. The same way that she might say 'Rin's never been swimming before,' or 'Rin's never seen snow before.'

The rest of the trip was uneventful, except for Rin's slightly annoying inquiry about who Inuyasha was. Later, Sesshoumaru caught Inuyasha's scent, and directed Jaken to steer the dragon in the correct direction. They landed a short time after that, and Sesshoumaru had started in Inuyasha's direction. Rin didn't want him to leave, but she had again reluctantly stayed; though this time she had somehow managed to extract his definite promise to return.

Sesshoumaru went to where Inuyasha was, and found that the hanyou had already transformed. Which was rather lucky, as Sesshoumaru could observe the change for a moment without being a direct participant. Where Inuyasha had before been almost at death, he now had a new and wild strength. Sessshoumaru watched as the hanyou killed the other youkai and then proceeded to rip apart the men. Now was as good a time as any to make his presence known. Sesshoumaru approached.

~

The fight had been interesting, Sesshoumaru mused as he walked back to where Rin and Jaken were. It was just as Bokusenou had said--Inuyasha was nothing more than a crazed animal. He had no sense, no reason, not even any fear. Just the drive to kill. Pathetic. That was even worse than what he was normally.

After seeing what he wanted to see, Sesshoumaru had knocked Inuyasha out and left. He did make a passing comment, though it seemed that Inuyasha's little group already had an idea of what was going on.

Inuyasha was like anything else. Sesshoumaru could care less about what he was doing, as long the hanyou didn't annoy him or get in his way. When Sesshoumaru had been after the Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha had been in the way. Now he wasn't. It was as simple as that. And while Inuyasha's transformation had piqued his curiosity momentarily, there was no longer anything mysterious or interesting about it. The hanyou could do whatever he wanted. Sesshoumaru didn't have any interest in him, dead, living, or otherwise.

Rin was the first to spot him when he returned.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" she cried.

Excited as always to see him, she came running over. Jaken also came over, though he seemed a bit less pleased. Obviously Jaken had not taken him seriously when he had said that Jaken might have to watch Rin.

They left after that, though Sesshoumaru had no particular destination in mind. It would have been fine just to stay there, except that he didn't care to be that close to Inuyasha's location.

"Did Sesshoumaru-sama go fight?" Rin asked, walking next to him.

"More or less."

"With Inuyasha?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Sesshoumaru thought of several answers, though he didn't really think that any of them would satisfy her. So he said nothing.

"Rin doesn't like it when Sesshoumaru-sama fights," she continued. "Sesshoumaru-sama might get hurt. Then Rin might not have Sesshoumaru-sama."

"I wouldn't be hurt," he said after a moment.

"Does Sesshoumaru-sama promise? Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Yes, fine."

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

His mind thought back to what Bokusenou had said about the Tetsusaiga. His father hadn't randomly given one of them one sword, and the other another. There was a carefully thought out plan behind it. Which meant that there was also a specific reason that he had been given the Tenseiga. His father had had a purpose. And he suspected that the aim of that purpose was closer than he would have preferred.


	26. Taking Off, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd make sure he got a tetanus shot too, since he seems to get impaled a lot.

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As they came over the hill, Rin saw the towering trees ahead. It was a forest that came out of nowhere and seemed to stretch forever. The sun was setting behind it, and was soon lost from view as it disappeared into the branches. Sesshoumaru-sama continued towards the forest, and Rin wondered if they were going to go into it. She used to like forests, but some of the ones that they had seen seemed to have a lot of scary things in them. Though she hadn't seen any things in the days since they had entered Sesshoumaru-sama's land, however far that was. Rin wondered if they were still in Sesshoumaru-sama's land. She guessed that they were. Maybe Jaken-sama was right about there being too much of it to see.

They did go into the forest, and Rin didn't see any scary things, but by the time they got there it was almost too dark to see. They didn't walk that far into the trees before they stopped to sleep. Sesshoumaru-sama woke her up the next morning, and soon they were walking again.

Rin sometimes walked and sometimes rode on Ah and Un. The first part of the morning she excitedly looked at everything in the forest. She could see so much more of it than she had been able to when they had entered it last night. It was a lot different than the woods that she had been in before. They were plain compared to this. Everything was so green here, there was even green moss on lots of the trees' trunks. The trees went on in every direction, and stretched up to the sky, which she could barely see because of the roof of leaves overhead.

"Is this all Sesshoumaru-sama's, too, Jaken-sama?" she asked.

"Of course!"

"Wow! Rin's never seen trees like these. They're really, really tall! And look at that tree, Jaken-sama! It's really big around!"

Jaken-sama didn't really seem too impressed, but Rin didn't care.

They kept going into the forest, finally ending up on an old path of some sort. They stayed on that until Sesshoumaru-sama stopped to talk to a tree. Rin had never seen a talking tree before. Sesshoumaru-sama and the tree man talked about swords, and about someone named Inuyasha. After they were done, Sesshoumaru-sama turned in another direction, leaving the forest's path. It wasn't that much longer before they were out of the trees and back to the meadows.

Rin was sort of sad to leave the tall trees so soon. She lingered by the edge a little while as Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama talked ahead of her. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru-sama called to her.

"Come on, Rin."

Rin turned around and saw that both Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama were sitting on Ah and Un. She ran over and got on Ah and Un in front of Sesshoumaru-sama.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is riding on Ah and Un, too?" she asked, turning to look at him.

He nodded at her. "Hold on, Rin."

Rin wondered why she would need to hold on; she rode on Ah and Un all the time. Still, she braced herself a little, wondering if something different was going to happen this time. It did. Ah and Un suddenly moved, jumping up into the air. Rin gasped and leaned back against Sesshoumaru-sama. Ah and Un kept going up, and Rin saw the ground far below.

"Wow! Ah and Un can fly!" she exclaimed after a moment.

Rin leaned up, and looked down. Everything was so faraway, and being up high made it all look so different. Her hair blew around her face, and it almost felt as if she were the one flying. She looked to one side and then the other, leaning so she could see as much as she could. Once as she was leaning, she felt Sesshoumaru-sama's hand on her shoulder, pulling her back a bit. She looked back at him, and he gave her a barely noticeable shake of his head. Rin decided that maybe leaning out wasn't such a good idea. After that, she only sat and saw what she could without leaning.

"Rin's never been flying before," she told him, looking behind her.

Sesshoumaru-sama didn't say anything, but later he told Jaken-sama to turn toward the left.

"Is he that way, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken-sama asked.

"Yes."

"Is who that way, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin asked.

"Inuyasha."

"Who's Inuyasha?"

"My hanyou half-brother."

"Oh," Rin said. He didn't really seem to want to talk about it. So she just looked at the ground beneath them again.

A little later, Jaken-sama brought An and Un down above some woods, and landed in a clearing. Then Jaken-sama took Ah and Un a little bit away.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru-sama suddenly told her, "you stay here."

"Where's Sesshoumaru-sama going?"

"You stay here."

Rin looked down, but nodded. She remembered the last time that Sesshoumaru-sama had gone somewhere. He had said that it wasn't a good place for her to go.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" she called as he started to walk away. "Sesshoumaru-sama is coming back soon, right?"

He turned to look at her for a moment, before he said, "Yes."

"Sesshoumaru-sama promises? Soon?"

"Soon." Then he turned again and walked away.

In a few minutes, Jaken-sama came back with Ah and Un. "Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama left, Jaken-sama."

Jaken-sama frowned. "Sesshoumaru-sama left? Did he go alone to where Inuyasha was?"

"Rin doesn't know. But Sesshoumaru-sama said he'd come back soon," she added brightly. Jaken-sama didn't look any less annoyed. "Hey Jaken-sama, who's Inuyasha?"

Then Jaken-sama talked for a really long time. But Rin got out of it that Inuyasha was Sesshoumaru-sama's younger brother, and that they didn't really get along. Also, Jaken-sama didn't seem to like Inuyasha much.

"Does Jaken-sama think that Sesshoumaru-sama went to fight with Inuyasha?"

"Probably."

"Does Sesshoumaru-sama fight a lot, Jaken-sama?"

He shrugged. "I suppose."

"Rin hopes that Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't get hurt."

"Silly girl! Sesshoumaru-sama is much to strong to ever be hurt!"

Rin decided that she still didn't like the idea of Sesshoumaru-sama fighting. He seemed very strong, but something had hurt him before. Something had been strong enough to cut his arm off, and he had been hurt when she had found him. Rin wondered if maybe Jaken-sama had forgetten these things.

But she turned her attention to combing her hair, which had gotten tangled while flying. Then she played with some flowers, but decided not to pick any since there weren't very many there and someone else might want some. She found some grass for Ah and Un to eat, and then just sat, waiting for Sesshoumaru-sama. It didn't seem like very much time had passed before she saw him walking back through the trees.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" she cried, running over.

Sesshoumaru-sama didn't say much, and didn't answer Jaken-sama's questions, only turning and saying, "We're leaving."

Jaken-sama grabbed Ah and Un's reins, and Rin walked beside Sesshoumaru-sama.

"Did Sesshoumaru-sama go fight?" she asked him.

"More or less," he said.

"With Inuyasha?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

He didn't say anything.

"Rin doesn't like it when Sesshoumaru-sama fights," she added. "Sesshoumaru-sama might get hurt. Then Rin might not have Sesshoumaru-sama."

"I wouldn't be hurt," he said.

"Does Sesshoumaru-sama promise? Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Yes, fine."

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Rin hoped that he wouldn't get hurt again, since he had promised. Then she would always have him.


	27. Just Another Day, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd get him a flea collar.

Slight spoilers for episodes 66 & 67.

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It was going to rain. Sesshoumaru could feel it and smell it in the air, even though it wouldn't begin for several hours. It was just past midday now, and the clouds would probably begin to set in just before sunset. Sesshoumaru hated the rain. It was annoying, a waste of time, and an inconvenience. One had to stop whatever they were doing and wait somewhere, or continue on and end up looking like a drenched fool. As he had nowhere pressing to go and had no intention of looking like a drenched fool, Sesshoumaru decided to find somewhere suitable for them to stop.

Later in the day, they came upon some cliffs, and while there were no caves, there was a sufficient enough overhang to shield them from all but the windiest rains. He stopped, though it was still afternoon. He wasn't going to continue on and chance not finding another place.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin asked.

"What?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama's stopping before sunset?"

"It's going to rain."

"Really, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked. Sesshoumaru couldn't tell if she was pleased or upset with the news.

"You should get some firewood," he said. "Jaken, you help her."

They went to do so, and Sesshoumaru surveyed the area, frowning slightly. Something was odd. Exactly how, he couldn't pinpoint, but it was the same slight abnormality that he had detected the previous night. There was just something different in the air. It wasn't necessarily dangerous, just different. And it annoyed him for some reason.

Jaken and Rin came back with wood, and Rin went to get something to eat. She came back with fruit, and then ran off again. She was still playing among the grasses and trees as started to rain, but she didn't come under the ledge like he thought that she would. She only darted around in the rain and splashed in the growing puddles. Sesshoumaru didn't see a particular reason to call her back, as she was already soaked, and it was only a rain, not a storm. She must have eventually gotten bored with doing whatever she found so fun, since she started to come back to where he and Jaken were sitting. Or maybe it was the fact that she didn't wish to continue it after it began to get dark and cool.

The sky was black and the rain was still falling as Rin finally came under the ledge, her hair plastered to her head, her clothes clingy and dripping, and every part of her completely soaked. Sesshoumaru appraised her skeptically. If she thought that she was going to sit next to him all wet like that, she was mistaken. But she didn't even try, instead automatically sitting down in front of the fire that Jaken had made.

"Rin likes it when it rains," she said after a moment. "Does Sesshoumaru-sama like the rain?" 

"Not really."

"Oh. Rin likes it when it rains, but Rin doesn't like it when it thunders and lightnings," she told him.

The rest of the evening was really uneventful. Rin was quiet, Jaken was quiet, and both fell asleep by the fire. The night was still except for the crackle of the fire and the patter of the raindrops. It was sometime after midnight when the rain stopped and the night became completely silent. As the time went on, the same odd thing that Sesshoumaru had sensed before came again. The night seemed eerily calm and incredibly restless all at the same time.

Sesshoumaru wanted to go out and find what was annoying him so. The rain had stopped, there was no reason not to. But he suddenly felt that he didn't want to leave Rin behind here. They weren't exactly in the nicest of spots. After several moments of considering whether to stay or go, he soon decided that she could sleep just as well on the dragon as she could on the ground.

"Jaken," he said. "Wake up."

"Y-yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken asked, getting up.

"We're leaving."

"Now, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Yes."

Without further question, Jaken moved to get the dragon and brought it over. Sesshoumaru picked up Rin and set her on its back. She opened one eye and looked at him. "Sesshoumaru...sama?" she asked sleepily.

"We're moving. You can sleep there," he told her.

"Yes... Sessho...ma..." she trailed off drowsily. Sesshoumaru wondered if she ever really heard him.

"Jaken, let's go." Jaken grabbed the reins of the dragon, quickly falling into step behind him.

Sesshoumaru wasn't sure where he wanted to go, but he quickly decided that being in the boggy leftovers of the rain wasn't it. He slowly wound his way up to the top of the cliffs, where a fresh wind blew and the clear sky was overhead. There was something in the air. There was hardly any activity, but the lower youkai were restless. As a new wind blew, he found the reason for it, and the reason why it had vaguely annoyed him earlier. It was the scent of Naraku. It was faint and faraway, but he was definitely there, and probably up to something by the feel of things.

Sesshoumaru wasn't particularly pleased with Naraku, but he wasn't sure that it was worth his time or trouble to actually hunt Naraku down. If Sesshoumaru happened to see Naraku, then he would kill him. But as long as Naraku didn't bother him again, Sesshoumaru was fine to let him alone as long as Naraku didn't come across his path.

As Sesshoumaru stood there, he noticed that something was quickly approaching from the direction that Naraku was in. Minutes later, that woman of Naraku's dropped from the sky. However, it seemed that Naraku didn't send her; indeed, she seemed to want him dead. She also wanted to make a deal to help her kill Naraku. Sesshoumaru had no interest in her offer, and she promptly left after he told her so, quickly vanishing into the sky.

Sesshoumaru absently wondered if she would kill Naraku herself. He certainly wouldn't be troubled to see Naraku go, and it would possibly save himself the bother of doing it later. But he didn't really care. It didn't involve him.

Having found the answer of why the night felt so odd, and having had that detachment woman annoy him again, Sesshoumaru suddenly wanted to leave the area.

"Jaken, Rin, let's go," he said.

They both started to follow him as he walked, and Rin, who was now suddenly very wide awake, was practically bouncing up and down. But soon her excitement at this midnight adventure passed, and she was on the back of the dragon again, asleep.

Sesshoumaru decided to continue on and not stop again that night. He didn't need sleep, Jaken had had enough of it, and Rin was fine on the dragon. They would just continue on as the day came.

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Wow again! Thanks so much for all the reviews everyone!


	28. Just Another Day, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd buy him a bone to chew on.

Slight spoilers for episodes 66 & 67.

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Rin was walking along by Ah and Un, who Jaken-sama was leading. They had been walking like that all day, following Sesshoumaru-sama. They had been in forests most of the day, but now they were among tall, grassy cliffs that Rin had never seen anything like before. Some rocks stuck out, but mostly the cliffs were made of dirt and grass, looking like hills that someone had scooped part of away.

Suddenly Sesshoumaru-sama stopped. They hardly ever stopped before dark or sunset, and it was still afternoon.

"Why is Sesshoumaru-sama stopping so early, Jaken-sama?" she asked.

"I don't know, ask him yourself."

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin said.

"What?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama's stopping before sunset?"

"It's going to rain."

"Really, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

He nodded. "You should get some firewood. Jaken, you help her."

Jaken-sama didn't look too happy at being told to help, but he did anyway. They gathered up sticks from around the trees, and brought them back to where Sesshoumaru-sama was. He was standing under the overhang of one of the cliffs, and looked like he was really thinking about something.

"What's Sesshoumaru-sama doing, Jaken-sama?" she asked when they went to get more sticks.

"He probably senses something," Jaken-sama said.

"What?"

"Probably youkai."

"Oh."

They brought back the other sticks, and then Rin went to find some food. She remembered seeing a tree with fruit, and quickly found it again. Its branches were low enough for her to grab one, and she climbed up, picking the best pieces to take back down with her. She went back to where Jaken-sama was building the fire to eat it, and then she went to pick flowers.

It started to rain while she was playing, but she didn't get out of it. Rin liked the rain, especially on days like today, when it was warm. Most times before, she hadn't had a place to go and get out of it, so she had gotten used to being in it. Rain was only bad when it was loud and stormy, but rain like this was fun. It was soft and cool, and it only barely fell, though she was soon wet. She watched as it fell, threw pebbles into the growing puddles, and splashed in the puddles herself.

But with the deep clouds covering everything, the sky seemed to get darker earlier. When the light fell, it began to get cold, and Rin decided to go back to where Sesshoumaru-sama and the fire were. She went back under the ledge, where she noticed Sesshoumaru-sama once again sitting away from the fire. She thought about sitting next to him, but she was cold and wet and wanted to sit by the fire. After a few minutes, she felt a little warmer. Her clothes were still wet, but at her skin was getting dry. She turned around to look at Sesshoumaru-sama.

"Rin likes it when it rains," she said. "Does Sesshoumaru-sama like the rain?" 

"Not really."

"Oh. Rin likes it when it rains, but Rin doesn't like it when it thunders and lightnings," she said.

Rin turned back to fire, and lay down instead of sat. It wasn't too much longer before she seemed very tired. Soon she fell asleep.

Later, it seemed to Rin like she was moving. She realized that she was lying on the back of Ah and Un, who were walking. Rin suddenly had the vague memory of Sesshoumaru-sama waking her up earlier and telling her that they were leaving that spot. She noticed that it had stopped raining, and she wondered where they were going. But soon she fell back asleep.

The next thing Rin knew, she had fallen on the ground, almost as if something had pushed her off of Ah and Un. She sat up and saw that there was a woman talking to Sesshoumaru-sama, the same woman that she had seen before. They talked about some things that Rin didn't understand, and then the woman seemed to get angry with Sesshoumaru-sama. She said some things that weren't nice and then quickly took off into the sky.

Sesshoumaru-sama looked after her for a second, before he turned and said, "Jaken, Rin, let's go."

Rin started to follow, and walked beside Sesshoumaru-sama. She realized that they had been at the top of one of the cliffs that she had seen before, and were now making their way back down. They didn't go back to where they had been earlier, though. Sesshoumaru-sama was now walking away from the cliffs. Rin thought that it was sort of fun being up so late. And the stars were incredibly bright this night, since there wasn't any moon to outshine them. The night before, she had even seen a shooting star, and had made a wish on it. She wished that she could stay with Sesshoumaru-sama forever.


	29. Naraku, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd get him some conditioner for his hair.

Spoilers for episodes 80 & 81.

Note: I had a particularly weird time writing this chapter. It's so important to their story, so I couldn't just skip over it, but it _did_ happen in the anime. Even if I put dialogue in, it would just be a creative transcription, still a summary of things that happened. And I couldn't think of anything else that _could_ be happening around these episodes, since Sesshoumaru and Rin have more than just a few minutes of screentime. So I opted to focus more on thoughts, than what is actually happening, since we _know_ what happens. Anyway...

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It had all started out as a perfectly normal day.

It had all been perfectly routine. Rin had gone out to look for food, and Jaken had gone with her. But only Jaken had returned, groveling and apologizing and managing to get out in between all this that Rin had been taken. Then Naraku had appeared, and had 'suggested' to Sesshoumaru in a roundabout way that he should go kill Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru disposed of the puppet and then turned and began slowly walking in the opposite direction. He didn't know what made him angrier, or what should have made him angrier. That Naraku was trying to use him again, that Rin had been taken, or that Naraku had the impudence to think that it would work. But he could sort all of that out later. Right now, only one clear thought was on his mind: kill Naraku.

Naraku's scent was steadily drifting from a far point in the distance. It was obviously a trap. Sesshoumaru knew that it was a trap, and knew that Naraku knew that he would come anyway. But he didn't care.

He fully intended to kill Naraku. Unfortunately, for some inane reason, Inuyasha arrived out of nowhere with the same objective. Whatever reasons the hanyou had for wanting to kill Naraku, Sesshoumaru didn't care. But none of it had lasted long. Naraku refused to fight with both of them at once, and took the coward's way out. It wasn't until Naraku was gone that Sesshoumaru realized why Rin had really been abducted. Naraku had taken her to provoke him, certainly, but also to make time to run if things didn't go as planned.

What infuriated Sesshoumaru more was the fact that Naraku had known that he would get Rin instead of chase after him. Wait--why did he have to go after her? He could still catch Naraku, kill him, and end this now. But he wasn't going to. Sesshoumaru didn't know why, exactly. He realized that Inuyasha was babbling about something, but he didn't really care to pay attention.

Sesshoumaru left. He soon found her, along with some human underling of Naraku's. At least he would get to kill someone over this. But Inuyasha appeared again. Apparently he had some interest in the brat not getting killed, and was even prepared to fight over it. Well, that was too bad for Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru moved to the brat, but realized that he wasn't putting up a fight. Naraku's underling didn't care if he lived or died; in fact, he seemed to be doing his very best to get killed. Sesshoumaru dropped him. He wasn't doing anything else that Naraku wanted that night, no matter how personally satisfying it might be.

Then he collected Rin and left. As much as he didn't care to converse with his brother, he particularly didn't care to converse with him tonight.

Rin seemed oddly unfazed by it all, which also annoyed Sesshoumaru to no end for some reason. She was asleep by the time they stopped a short while later. (And Jaken had had the rare good sense to recognize that Sesshoumaru was in a fouler mood than usual, and had remained quiet.)

That night, two people had predicted exactly what he was going to do. Sesshoumaru had known that Naraku was setting a trap, and he hadn't been concerned. However, the extent of the planning behind that unsuccessful trap had been successful. Naraku hadn't obtained his objective, but he had gotten Sesshoumaru to do exactly what he wanted, on several accounts. And Rin had known that he would come as well. They both knew, though Sesshoumaru himself hadn't known until he was already acting. It was one thing for the girl to have her misplaced (or not so misplaced) trust in him, but to have Naraku read him so transparently was galling. That, plus Naraku's previous meddlings, earned Naraku the top place in his priorities.

But what was also annoying was the different rage that he had felt when he had arrived to find Rin about to be struck down by that brat. Sesshoumaru realized that he had wanted her to be all right. And he absolutely loathed the realization.

Evident now more than ever was the fact that she was a liability, a disadvantage, something that could effectively be used to manipulate him. The logical thing to do would be to get rid of her somewhere, but he knew that he couldn't. Somewhere along the line, she had made him care. Somehow, she had taken sheer morbid curiosity on his part and turned it into making him actually _care_ about what happened to her.

She was nothing, she shouldn't be anything to him. So why was she? How could she have done that to him? To _him_--he who had always looked down on pointless attachments and prided himself on being above succumbing to that sort of meaningless idiocy. And so easily she had done it. He wanted to hate her for it. He absolutely wanted to hate her for it, but he couldn't. That was the problem with having a weakness--if one could do something about it, then it wouldn't be a weakness.

Damn her. Damn Tenseiga. Damn everything.

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Note: I would have liked to end this chapter on a more uplifting note, but as I wrote it, I realized that I couldn't. Really, this is the first time that Sesshoumaru is really confronted about Rin, and probably the first time that he really realizes that what he had suspected was happening with her has happened. He never wanted to care, and it's too late to do anything about it. And I can see him being pretty pissed off about the whole thing.


	30. Naraku, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd get him some Frontline.

Spoilers for episodes 80 & 81.

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"Sesshoumaru-sama? Rin's hungry." Rin looked up at Sesshoumaru-sama as they walked. He looked back down, and regarded her for a moment.

"Then go find something to eat," he finally said.

He always said things like that. If she was hungry, get something to eat; if she was cold, get some firewood; if she was tired, go to sleep. By now, she knew he was going to answer like that. Rin knew that she was going to go get food, but for some reason, she didn't want to just _tell_ him, and something seemed odd about asking if she could. So she always just told Sesshoumaru-sama what her problem was, and then he told what she should do. It worked.

It was after dusk that Rin ended up finding some melons. She picked some from the vine while Jaken-sama sat behind her, grumbling about something. But Jaken-sama was usually grumbling about something, so Rin wasn't really paying attention to him.

"Jaken-sama, how about this one?" she asked.

"Just pick one and be done with it already!" Jaken-sama said.

Rin was looking back at the melons when a sudden wind from overhead blew her down. Someone suddenly picked her up. She saw that it was the youkai woman that she had seen before. The lady said something to Jaken-sama, and then Rin felt herself being lifted. The ground and Jaken-sama were suddenly very far away. She screamed, but then she felt something hit her on the back of her head, and everything went black.

---

When Rin woke up, she was in a room. She wondered where she was, until she remembered what happened. That woman had taken her away. But she still wondered where she was.

Rin remembered thinking that the youkai lady had seemed lonely the last time that she had seen her. But right now Rin didn't care if the lady was lonely or not, the lady had taken her away from Sesshoumaru-sama and left her here.

Rin looked around. It was then that she noticed a boy sitting in one corner. Then she saw a door to the side. She went over to the door, and started to open it. Suddenly, the boy told her that she shouldn't. Rin opened the door anyway, and only saw that there were youkai all around the building. She quickly shut the door, and then stared blankly at the wood for several seconds. Why was she here? Why did the woman bring her here? What did it have to do with anything? She didn't understand.

Rin went and sat down by the boy. "Were you kidnapped too?" she asked him. "We could escape together."

"I'm your guard."

Rin looked at the floor. Nothing made sense. She asked the boy what his name was and why he was doing this? Was he friends with the youkai out there?

But he didn't answer her. Rin looked down again. She wondered if Sesshoumaru-sama would come to get her. She couldn't think of a reason why he _wouldn't_, but despite all the things she thought of, she couldn't think of a specific reason why he _would_, either.

But she suddenly knew that he would. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew that he would come.

Later, Rin ate some of the melon that she still had, and she and the boy talked. He said that his name was Kohaku. But he didn't remember anything else besides that. He didn't seem to want to remember, though. Rin wondered what that was like. Would it be better not to remember? She still remembered (though vaguely) when her family had been killed.

Suddenly Kohaku jumped up. He blew out the candle and looked outside.

Rin also peeked out the door. There were several people out there. She didn't know any of them. But he kept looking.

His head suddenly snapped up, and he took her hand. "Come."

"But the youkai," Rin started. But Kohaku was already leading her outside. And none of the youkai were bothering them, they were all fighting the people over there.

Once they were far away from the building and the people, Rin asked him why he left, if it had anything to do with the people, and where they were going now. But he didn't answer her. In fact, he hadn't said anything since they left the building.

He suddenly turned around to her, but his face seemed different, blank. Then he raised the weapon that he had in his hand. Rin pulled her hand free of his as he swung the thing at her. She fell back on to the ground. What happened to him? She got up and moved away. Rin turned, but then she felt something catch her legs and pull her down. Her head hit the ground as she fell.

---

When Rin opened her eyes, she saw a girl. "You're awake."

Rin looked past the girl. "Sesshoumaru-sama!" She stood up. She had known that he would come, but she was still happy that he did.

Then Rin saw Kohaku. But he jumped up and ran off into the trees. Then there was a whoosh of air and he was gone into the sky with that youkai lady. Rin guessed that he really had been friends with the youkai.

Sesshoumaru-sama talked to the two people (one of which looked like Sesshoumaru-sama, Rin thought) only for a moment, and then he started walking away. Rin immediately followed, only turning to say goodbye to the people as she walked.

"Rin knew Sesshoumaru-sama would come!" she told him after a moment.

He didn't respond at all.

Rin dropped it. Sesshoumaru-sama seemed to be thinking. And he seemed to be frowning about something.

Soon they found Ah and Un and Jaken-sama, who was complaining about being "beaten up by that hanyou." But even as they walked, Jaken-sama fell silent. He seemed to have noticed something about Sesshoumaru-sama too.

"Hey Jaken-sama," Rin asked from where she sat on Ah and Un, "what's wrong with Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Quiet!" Jaken-sama hissed. "He can hear you, you know."

"But--"

"That Naraku annoyed him again. Now quiet."

"Oh." Rin thought that she had heard the name Naraku before, but she couldn't be sure. She wondered what Naraku had to do with anything. But it didn't seem to matter to her.

Rin didn't really understand all that had happened or why, but she had known that Sesshoumaru-sama would come.

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I would just like to say: WOW! Almost 350 reviews! That is _really_ good, since this story has no romance, and practically no action. Most all the stories that draw that many readers are pairings or thrillers (or both).

Thank you everyone!


	31. Interlude, Sess

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd walk him every day.

Note: I will not be writing over the filler episodes. These episodes are: 75, 76, 77, 96, 99, 133/134, & 162.

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Sesshoumaru had left Jaken and Rin behind. He could get where he was going and do what he needed to do much faster without them.

Walking through the deserted and desolate land, he was heading for the only thing that could be in such an area, a gathering place for youkai. It was rather a permanent gathering place, as evidenced by the wastelands around, which had either been selected because nothing else could live there, or had become wastelands because of centuries of nothing but youkai living there. A small world of black rock formations, skeletons of animals, barren trees, and fire and ash was all that could be seen.

He was here for information, though he would never have it appear that he was only here to ask--well, demand--of others what they knew. Sesshoumaru also had another reason to be here. Toukijin had gotten slightly damaged while he had been fighting Naraku, and there were those here that could fix it.

Once to the main part of the place, Sesshoumaru made his way toward the forges. Several youkai sword smiths were working on blades over hot fires. One of them paused what he was doing and made his way over to where Sesshoumaru stood. The best one of them, and the most annoying one. Mazou. Despite his usefulness, Sesshoumaru loathed doing business with Mazou at all.

"Sesshoumaru-dono," he said. "What a pleasant--well, what a surprise. What can I--" He suddenly paused and looked around. "Lose your human?"

"You don't see her, do you?"

"What'd you finally do with her?" he asked with interest. A bit too much interest, Sesshoumaru thought.

"None of your business."

"Fine, fine. At any rate, what can I do for you?"

Sesshoumaru pulled out Toukijin and held it up.

"Nice. I take it you found Kaijinbou?"

Sesshoumaru gave a barely visible nod and handed the sword to Mazou, who took it held it up.

"Excellent make. I might have to go look him up."

"Don't bother. He's dead."

"It looked like he did good work. What'd you kill him for?"

"I didn't."

"Who did?"

"No one of consequence." Sesshoumaru wasn't going to bring up the hanyou's name if he could help it.

"So why are you here?"

"There's some scraping near the hilt. Fix it."

Mazou studied Toukijin for a moment. "That's it? That's hardly anything."

"I wish it in perfect condition. Just fix it."

"Sure, whatever. It'll take an hour or two," he said, sticking Toukijin into the fire. "Hey, I heard that your brother was making quite the name for himself. What was his name? Inutashi?"

"Half brother," Sesshoumaru said before walking away.

He went through the forges and past them, walking past the small groups of youkai that were lingering around until he could find one that he thought might know something. Normally, he wouldn't have stayed in this place while waiting for a sword to be repaired, but this time he did have two purposes in coming.

Sesshoumaru also somewhat enjoyed the disturbance that his presence was creating. It was one thing for humans to run from him, but watching other youkai nervously edge back for him to pass was much more satisfying. They were powerful in their own right, but he could easily dispose of all of them. There were very few that could trifle with him and live. Which brought to mind the other half of the reason that he was here. To see if any others knew of Naraku.

"Well, if it isn't Sesshoumaru," a voice suddenly said.

Sesshoumaru looked over, to see an ancient youkai sitting between two rocks. One of his father's distant acquaintances, if memory served.

"Haven't seen you in almost a century," the old youkai continued. "What're you doing here?"

"Have you heard of a youkai called Naraku?"

"Nope. Someone you know?"

"Not exactly."

"Someone you mean to kill, then," the old youkai said with a grin.

"Exactly."

"Haven't heard of any Naraku. Must keep to himself."

"He seems to be connected to unlikely things. Any strange happenings?"

"Not among youkai."

When Sesshoumaru didn't give a comment one way or the other, the old youkai continued.

"East of here there's some rumors about a band of mercenaries getting out of their graves. You know, I met two of them once a while back, if it's the same guys I'm thinking of. Creepy bastards. The most twisted humans I ever saw. Strong, too. They could give some youkai a chase. Actually, they did. Killed six guys just on the edge of here. Someone here was impressed enough that they made a sword for one of them."

"I am not interested in human mercenaries."

"Never said you were. But you asked about strange, and that's strange. People don't just resurrect _themselves_."

Going east was as good as going any direction, Sesshoumaru decided.

-----

For the remaineder of his time, Sesshoumaru talked to the old youkai. It was not exactly a cordial conversation, but it was as close to one as Sesshoumaru would be giving. And for the most part, he just listened. The old youkai was rather well informed, as it was, which was what came of sitting around all day and listening to other youkai talk and come and go.

As Sesshoumaru turned to leave, the old youkai asked, "You want me to tell Naraku anything if I see him?"

"He is not the type to come out of hiding." Then he smirked. "And if you ever meet him, I doubt you would live long enough to deliver the message."

"Heh. Probably not."

Sesshoumaru went to collect Toukijin, which Mazou was just pulling out of the final fire. Parts of it still had a dull glow, but he picked it up anyway. "Well, here it is. It's fixed." He handed it to Sesshoumaru. "But what're you being so particular about? It was great before."

"As I said, it needs to be perfect."

"Going to kill something big?"

Sesshoumaru held the sword up, looking at the flawlessly polished surface. "Yes, I believe that I am."


	32. Interlude, Rin

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I'd train him to do other tricks besides 'sit.'

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"Sure you don't want some flowers, Jaken-sama?"

"Of course I am!"

"Okay, but they're really nice," Rin said. She glanced at Jaken-sama, who was sitting on a log a short distance away. Ahun was lying down behind him. Rin shrugged to herself and turned her attention back to the flowers. The whole field was practically full of them, and she had chosen the spot with the most to sit down in. She had already made a wreath of large white flowers for her head, and a necklace of purple ones. Now she was working on a bracelet of small yellow flowers, which were somewhat difficult to string together.

Rin sighed and set the flowers in her lap. Her hands were tired, she realized. She had been making things out of flowers since before lunch, and it was now afternoon. It was fun, but mainly it was a way to pass the time. There wasn't much else to do. Sesshoumaru-sama had left late that morning, leaving her and Jaken-sama behind.

Rin picked up the flowers, but then dropped them again. She decided to talk to Jaken-sama.

"Hey, Jaken-sama, where'd Sesshoumaru-sama go?"

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do!" Rin persisted.

"No, I don't," Jaken-sama said, turning around. "But if I guessed, he went looking for things about Naraku."

"Oh." Naraku again. "What does Naraku have to do with anything, Jaken-sama?"

"Stupid girl! Naraku was the one that kidnapped you."

"But Rin was kidnapped by that youkai lady."

"She works for Naraku."

"Oh. But why'd they kidnap Rin at all?"

"To make Sesshoumaru-sama do what Naraku wanted, which made him angry. Which is why he intends to hunt down Naraku now."

"Because Sesshoumaru-sama was angry that they took Rin?" she asked.

"No! That they tried to manipulate him. Hmph. Sesshoumaru-sama wouldn't take the trouble of killing Naraku just for you."

Rin decided not to point out to Jaken-sama that Sesshoumaru-sama _had_ come to get her.

"Sesshoumaru-sama probably went somewhere where there are lots of youkai," Jaken-sama continued, "which is why he didn't take you."

"But why didn't Jaken-sama go too?"

Jaken-sama stiffened. "Sesshoumaru-sama was probably in a hurry." But Rin thought she heard him mutter something under his breath.

"What?"

"I _said_, I have to stay here and watch you," he snapped. "Though little good it did last time..." Jaken-sama trailed off, talking to himself. Rin heard something about 'babysitter,' and that he was sure to get it if it happened again.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

"Hey Jaken-sama, who was that person?"

"What person?"

"That person that Rin saw. The one that looked like Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Jaken-sama looked confused.

"He had the same hair," Rin prompted.

"Inuyasha!" Jaken-sama exclaimed. "You saw him?"

She nodded. "After Rin woke up. That was Inuyasha?"

Jaken-sama frowned. "Sesshoumaru-sama never mentioned Inuyasha being there. Then again, he wouldn't have."

"So that was Inuyasha?"

Jaken-sama nodded.

So that was Sesshoumaru-sama's brother. Rin didn't really think that Inuyasha looked like all the things Jaken-sama said about him. If he was Sesshoumaru-sama's brother, he couldn't be all bad. She wondered why Sesshoumaru-sama and Inuyasha didn't get along. They fought sometimes, she remembered.

"Jaken-sama, tell Rin about Inuyasha?"

"I already told you about Inuyasha. It's not my fault you forgot since then." Jaken-sama looked away and didn't look back, and Rin guessed that he was done talking. She picked the flowers back up.

So Sesshoumaru-sama had gone to find out about Naraku. The lady that worked for Naraku had been the one that had taken her away. Rin suddenly wondered if Kohaku also worked for Naraku. Kohaku had been nice to talk to, but he had also said that he was her guard. He was really quiet, and he had acted kind of strange, too.

And although she wasn't going to discuss it with Jaken-sama, Rin wondered if Sesshoumaru-sama was just angry at Naraku in general, or angry because she had been kidnapped. Rin wasn't sure what 'manipulate' meant, all she knew was that the lady had taken her and Sesshoumaru-sama had come to get her. That was all that mattered to her.

Rin started again on making her bracelet, and noticed that where she was sitting was now in the long shade from the woods behind them. The sun almost couldn't be seen. Rin wondered how much longer Sesshoumaru-sama was going to be.

She turned and looked at Jaken-sama again.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want some flowers, Jaken-sama?"

----------

Notes: Okay, here it goes. This will be the last update until the manga ends. Because all I have left to write is the conclusion chapter/s, and I don't want to write that until I know for sure how the series ends. I will be writing about the Shichinintai episodes, but that will be part of the conclusion. I know the anime (and manga) do go on, but basically, I'm tapped out here. I've written about everthing that I've wanted to write about with these two. Also, unless something drastic happens in the manga, the Shichinintai is sort of the height of the Sesshoumaru and Rin evolution, in my opinion. The first was reviving her, the second was actually keeping her, the third was Naraku, and the fourth is the Shichinintai (all in my opinion).

After that, no doubt Sesshoumaru does some cool stuff, but none of it seems really Rin-related to me. They pretty much just chase after Naraku. Also, this fic started mainly to play with Sesshoumaru getting to know Rin, and visa versa, which is done by this point. So, it's been fun, but this fic is, for all practical purposes, complete. There will be a conclusion, but only after the manga ends. Also after the manga ends, I will have another story about Sesshoumaru and Rin that will take place after the series. Not a pairing (sorry to those who like that) but also not like any other story that I've seen done. It will be something different, I promise.

Thanks for reading all this time! You've all been great!


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